Geplaatst op: 11 March 2024

LAST THURSDAY THE FIRST PILE WAS DRIVEN FOR DSV, A LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER FOR THOUSANDS OF NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY OPERATING COMPANIES. THE LARGEST LINKED DISTRIBUTION CENTRE IN THE NETHERLANDS WITH MORE THAN 200,000 M2 OF HIGH-QUALITY STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION WILL BE BUILT ON THE MOERDIJK LOGISTICS PARK, RIGHT NEXT TO THE A17 MOTORWAY, ON A TOTAL PLOT OF MORE THAN 34 HECTARES. PELECON WAS INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT BY CONSTRUCTION COMPANY VROLIJK TO DEVELOP THE FINAL CONSTRUCTION DESIGN INTO A FEASIBLE PLAN. TOGETHER WITH ALL CONSTRUCTION PARTNERS, WE OPTIMISED THE MANY STEEL KILOS AND CONCRETE VOLUMES IN THE FOUNDATIONS REQUIRED TO BUILD THIS MEGA-BUILDING.

For the roof slope plan, we opted to design all sub-rafter sections of about 22.5 metres long as a roof with 2-sided slope. The extra HWA and NO. lines required for this did not outweigh the kilos of steel we saved this way. These trusses are made in Vrolijk Staalconcepten’s new production facility, which will fully automatically weld the trusses. The detailed engineering and production drawings were done in close cooperation with ADS Ertner.

STABILITY
The lower roof section above the mezzanine floor is a parking deck for luxury cars for 80% of the warehouses. The mezzanine floor and parking deck are 24.0 metres deep and, with their disc action, also have a large share in the stability of the 10 different warehouses.

CHALLENGES
During the development of Hall H, the request was made to also incorporate PGS storage areas in one of the warehouses. This resulted in five stand-alone building structures with a maximum floor area of 2,000 m2. Another challenge was the 17-metre high pseudo-gable façade that was laid down in the image quality plan. This false facade is partly freestanding and partly made against the facade. By making clever use of lattice columns, the kilos of steel have been used as much as possible. The office has a round shape, but has a similar structural design as the warehouses, steel construction combined with hollow-core slabs. The office stairwells are extra-secure escape routes and are therefore constructed in precast concrete walls.

FOUNDATION DESIGN
The foundation is a Vibro-pile system over which foundation beams and piles are made. The fixed foundation is a sand package, but packed loose over a greater depth. The engineers from Pelecon, Vrolijk, Be-Smart and Vroom worked together to develop the most optimal pile plan and foundation design. Each party has its input and checks each other. After all, such a large project requires a lot of attention, with the basis having to be absolutely right! Some piling plans are still under development, but the first warehouses and the office are final and ready for execution. Vroom will carry out the piling work here and expects to drive some 3,500 piles into the ground with four scaffoldings.

THE INS AND OUTS OF THIS PROJECT
So this is the largest contiguous warehouse in the Netherlands and is the first development of four at the new Logistics Park Moerdijk. The building has a floor area of 198,300 m2 complemented by a 38,600 m2 mezzanine, 136 docks, 5 offices and a ramp for the more than 1,000 luxury car parking spaces on the roof. The warehouses are composed of 10 stand-alone structures and 1 cross-dock hall. The offices comprise approximately 4,915 m2 GLA, distributed over three floors with a walkway to the parking deck. In short: the new DC at the logistics park ensures that DSV can continue to grow and serve their customers well into the future.

Photocreditsl: Pelecon structural engineers
Drawings: Palazzo

Distributioncenter Hunkemöller, Almere

Geplaatst op: 8 February 2024

PELECON CREATED THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR HUNKEMÖLLER’S RECENTLY COMPLETED NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTER AT THE STICHTSEKANT BUSINESS PARK IN ALMERE. THE DUTCH LINGERIE CHAIN WITH CONSIDERABLE GROWTH AMBITIONS NEEDED SPACE! ARCHITECT DENC NETHERLANDS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATIVE DESIGN OF THE DC AND INVOLVED PELECON IN THIS PROJECT. WHERE OUR STRENGTH LAY IN DESIGNING AS ECONOMICALLY AS POSSIBLE WHICH RESULTED IN A SLENDER, YET ROBUST STEEL CONSTRUCTION. FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT, THE VALUABLE COLLABORATION BETWEEN ARCHITECT AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEER RESULTED IN A BEAUTIFUL END RESULT; A MODERN WAREHOUSE WITH OFFICE WHICH IS A REAL ADDITION BETWEEN THE SOMETIMES ‘BORING’ DISTRIBUTION CENTERS.

The new DC for Hunkemöller consists of two separate warehouses with a total of 44 docks at the front and a mezzanine floor of 12 meters deep. Phase 1 of the warehouses has been taken into use by Hunkemöller itself, with two mezzanine floors in the warehouse and an automated miniload system. The new DC also includes a multi-level office consisting of a loose construction with three floors, each floor equipped with a canopy that is also walkable in some positions.

Geplaatst op: 26 January 2024

Pelecon created the structural design for Hunkemöller’s recently completed new distribution center at the Stichtsekant business park in Almere. The Dutch lingerie chain with considerable growth ambitions needed space! Architect DENC Netherlands is responsible for the creative design of the DC and involved Pelecon in this project. Where our strength lay in designing as economically as possible which resulted in a slender, yet robust steel construction. For this assignment, the valuable collaboration between architect and structural engineer resulted in a beautiful end result; a modern warehouse with office which is a real addition between the sometimes ‘boring’ distribution centers.

The new DC for Hunkemöller consists of two separate warehouses with a total of 44 docks at the front and a mezzanine floor of 12 meters deep. Phase 1 of the warehouses has been taken into use by Hunkemöller itself, with two mezzanine floors in the warehouse and an automated miniload system. The new DC also includes a multi-level office consisting of a loose construction with three floors, each floor equipped with a canopy that is also walkable in some positions.

CONSTRUCTIVELY QUITE A CHALLENGE
As few columns as possible were used under the mezzanine floor in the warehouses, so large floor-bearing trusses had to be used with a free span of 22.8 meters. The office is a real eye-catcher with very slender canopies and columns and a facade with full glass all around. This needed our explicit attention to detailing. The stability of the office is regulated in the core of the building around the elevator and stairwell, due to the use of curtain walls all around.

NO SHORTAGE OF SUSTAINABILITY
The DC will receive BREEAM certification (sustainability), targeting Excellent certification (BRL 2020). The focus is on making the building as sustainable as possible with low energy consumption and low maintenance. The entire roof of the warehouse is suitable for the installation of PV panels; the steel structure takes into account the extra weight of these panels and the ballast required.

Distribution center Ara

Geplaatst op: 20 December 2023

DEVELOPING A DISTRIBUTION CENTER THAT FITS WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE WAS THE OBJECTIVE OF THE OWNER, PROPERTY DEVELOPER, ARCHITECT AND BUILDER PELECON. THE RESULT IS A DISTRIBUTION CENTER WITH ALL THE FUNCTIONALITIES THAT BELONG TO A DISTRIBUTION CENTER, BUT THANKS TO AN ECOLOGICAL NATURE SCREEN OF ALMOST ONE KILOMETER LONG AND 15 METERS HIGH, THE DISTRIBUTION CENTER GETS A BEAUTIFUL ECOLOGICAL BOW AND PROMOTES BIODIVERSITY IN THE AREA.

The ecological nature screen is projected partly against the building, partly freestanding and partly above the dock positions. “At the base of the nature screen is an impressive steel frame, which in the coming months and years will be overgrown by a wide variety of plants,” Stolwijk says. “Together with the architect, we made the initial design sketches for this and refined them further and further, keeping in mind aesthetics, stability and feasibility. In this way, nature, architecture, technology and functionality come together beautifully.”

Intralox LLC Europe, Hoofddorp

Geplaatst op: 7 December 2023

WE ARE FREQUENTLY CALLED IN BY ARCHITECTS TO ADVISE ON CONSTRUCTION DURING THE DESIGN PHASE. ULTIMATELY, OF COURSE, THAT BEAUTIFUL BUILDING MUST ALSO BE SAFE FOR ITS USERS. ARCHITECT DENC ASKED US AT AN EARLY STAGE OF THE ASSIGNMENT TO MAKE A STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR INTRALOX LLC EUROPE’S NEW BUILDING. INTRALOX HAD THE AMBITION TO MOVE FROM AMSTERDAM TO SCHIPHOL TRADE PARK AND DEVELOP A EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WITH A PRODUCTION HALL.

Intralox is a global provider of transportation solutions for moving the most critical products. The company supplies a variety of industries: from the food processing industry to postal and parcel distribution. Schiphol Trade Park in Hoofddorp fits Intralox’s needs well, especially the central location and therefore good accessibility offer advantages. However, Schiphol Trade Park’s high sustainability ambitions also align with Intralox’s core values.

New factory M&G Group

Geplaatst op: 28 August 2023

SUSTAINABLE, MULTIFUNCTIONAL AND FLEXIBLE: THE NEW PRODUCTION AND STORAGE SITE FOR M&G GROUP IN ASSEN CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES THE STRENGTH OF PELECON STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS IN THE FIELD OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING. WE WERE INVOLVED BY DEVELOPER BORGHESE LOGISTICS AT A VERY EARLY STAGE OF THE PROJECT IN ORDER TO INCORPORATE THE DEVELOPER’S AND END USER’S PROGRAMME OF REQUIREMENTS INTO THE BUILDING IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. BUT ALSO TO ENSURE MAXIMUM USABILITY. NOW AND TOWARDS THE FUTURE.

“Our cooperation with Borghese Logistics, architect Mies Architecture and contractor Pleijsier Bouw goes back many years,” says Mack Stolwijk. “We know what to expect from each other. Moreover, we are well acquainted with each other’s strengths and preferences. For example, because Pleijsier Bouw has a preference for steel, we engineered a steel skeleton in combination with a steel roof and hollow-core slabs. Big advantage of this combination is that construction can be done very quickly and directly from the truck.”

Geplaatst op: 19 January 2023

FOR OUR CLIENT BIEZE FOOD GROUP, WE WERE ALLOWED TO ADVISE ON YET ANOTHER PHASE 3 OF THE EXPANSION OF THEIR REFRIGERATION AND FREEZER LOGISTICS IN NIJKERK. AN ASSIGNMENT WHERE WE CAN PUT OUR SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE TO FULL USE, AS THE CONSTRUCTION FOR A FREEZER HALL IS SPECIAL.

The floor of a cold store is always constructed as a double floor, with heating in the lower foundation to prevent freezing through. This is followed by a thick layer of insulation and a top floor on which heavy racking can be placed. This latter floor shrinks as soon as the freezing machines (condensers) are switched on. At -25 degrees, the floor shortens by as much as several centimeters.

SPECIALISM
Pelecon specializes in refrigerated and frozen logistics. The Bieze Food Group is a loyal customer of Pelecon who likes to make use of this specialist knowledge. Once completed, their optimally developed logistics hotspot enables them to safely store, process and then transport their food in chilled condition.

For this assignment, we worked together with van Bokhorst Architects and contractor Dijkham Bouw; both from Nijkerk.

Photography: André Verschoor – Pelecon

Distribution center P3 Logistic Park, Echt Susteren

Geplaatst op: 9 December 2021

The new distribution center in Echt-Susteren has been delivered to P3 Logistic Parks and clearly shows what Pelecon structural engineers can do in the field of building structures. The structural engineering consultancy with offices in Gouda and Amersfoort was involved in this project from the early stages by Dokvast and Heembouw Architects. Pelecon is responsible for the calculations, drawings and inspection of the complete steel structure.

VidaXL phase 4, Horst aan de Maas

Geplaatst op: 2 November 2021

For our client Vida-XL, we calculated the structure of their new distribution center in Horst aan de Maas. This concerns phase 4 of the storage building of over 150,000 m² GLA on a footprint of 123,000 m² in total. What is unique is the size of the building together with the logistics bridge, which connects phase 3 to phase 4 over the public road.

Green Mountains Logistics Park, Schiphol

Geplaatst op: 27 January 2021

Green Mountains Logistics Park consists of four warehouses and is an immense project on the former Groenland site near the Aalsmeer runway at Schiphol Airport. The first three warehouses have been officially completed and are in use. The fourth warehouse is wind and watertight, except for the shop floor. Because the tenant did not sign until the warehouse was ready, it is now being rebuilt to meet all the requirements of this new user.