Showplace Farms, Building 1

Summarize the project's program, features, and achievements: Showplace Farms Building 1 is a million square foot speculative warehouse building, with (2) main office entry features at opposite corners. Design features include a 40’ clear height, insulated tilt-up panels, and 166 dock positions. The entrance designs entail a large canopy and expansive fenestrations, some infilled by large curtainwalls. The project is part of a two-building complex, with Building 2 being a scaled down version of the first, with a 32’ clear height.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project? The formal complexities of the project lead to high precision when constructing and placing the panel reinforcing, embeds and panels themselves, with little room for error in the field.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project. ? The intricate corner design of Showplace Farms provides an eye-catching home for any tenant. The dynamic forms create an engineering feat, with immensely offset panels and drastic elevation changes. The vast ACM clad canopy, cantilevered from the lower panels by outriggers, brings the design down to the human scale. The various embeds and increased panel reinforcement within the lower “cube” panels, coupled with routing the roof drain piping offered little margins in the field. The upper “folded” panels behind the entry form are supported by strong back-reinforced legs to minimize the intrusion on the floor space below. Various lapped panels, some triple-layered, provide additional depth to the facades. Additional care was required when constructing these details to ensure tolerances were maintained. The angled “wing” panel added to the structural complexity due to the additional external loading the panels and structural steel had to resist.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment? Showplace Farms bolsters the industrial core in the heart of New Jersey, with easy access to various ports and highways. The building provides both job opportunities and a logistics hub to the local community. Developed on an out of commission horse track, it brings new life to the site.