The 10 hectare site will accommodate the central distribution facility for Foodstuffs. The development includes a large and modern 33,000m2 Warehouse Building plus 3,500m2 Canopy, a 3000m2 Administration Building, a large lean-to structure to facilitate the forklift trucks and their operation, a two storey Distribution Building, plus several ancillary structures located on the site.
The clients brief was to provide a large open area in the warehouse space with minimal internal supports. This was achieved by large rafter trusses supported at third points by spine trusses running perpendicular to the rafters. The internal posts are in a 30 metre x 44 metre grid.
The main warehouse building comprises structural steel truss portal frames which provide both the gravity support and the lateral resistance across the building and a cross brace system resists lateral loads along the building. The foundations are a combination of mass concrete pads and screw piles resisting large uplift loads.
The Administration Building comprises reinforced concrete shear walls, reinforced concrete beams and columns, large span hollowcore units for the first floor, and structural steel frames for the upper level and roof structure. The lateral resistance of the building resulted in large torsional forces which made the seismic design challenging.
The other ancillary buildings typically comprise structural steel portal frames and precast concrete shear walls.
Completed – Design Completed 2008
Developer – Foodstuffs (Wellington) Co-operative Society Ltd
Architect – Proarch Architects
Contractor – to commence construction in 2008 |