Case study: Heron Frozen Foods Distribution Centre

Background:-
Past experience of detailing and designing cold / chill stores gave HBPW Consulting the edge in creating a distribution centre for Heron Frozen Foods near Hull, whilst engineers were also able to call on knowledge of working with economical, large steel superstructures.

Challenge
The company needed to consolidate its scattered distribution centres under one roof with storage for both chilled and frozen foods.

Heron turned to Volker Stevin for outline designs and HBPW was appointed as civil and structural engineer. The site on the Melton Industrial Estate, close to the shore of the Humber Estuary, presented ground condition challenges, while the height of the building caused concern because of its exposure to extreme winds.

Solution
Engineers calculated the elastic and consolidation settlements of the ground, to ensure that the high bay racking in the stores would remain serviceable in use, and advised on the best foundations to install. Propped 80m trusses were incorporated into the main building cross-section.

They supported the weight of building services and both ‘dead’ and ‘live’ loads from the insulated envelope that formed the chill and cold stores.

Outcome
HBPW engineers had to ‘work smart’, incorporating architectural features, despite the fact that they made for difficult structural works. Considerable past experience of similar projects meant the management of off-site storm water over flows were also managed.