NISA Today

Distribution Centre

This design and build project, covering 40 acres, provides a central distribution centre for NISA Today and was successfully handed over on schedule, following a fast track programme. The centre provides 650,000ft² of managed storage space, including racking and a 6,000ft² chill store, accessed by 60 loading docks, 2,500ft² distribution offices and a two storey 20,000ft² office and facilities area, including raised access floors to allow installation of the computer stock management and data system, a gym and other staff welfare facilities. 40,000m² of in situ concrete yard area and 15,000m² of tarmac car parking areas accommodating 175 articulated delivery vehicles and 300 cars.

The site required a cut and fill exercise involving 100,000m³ of material, dynamic compaction and lime stabilisation and works. The site is drained to a runoff attenuating storage lagoon provided as part of the overall development. 2,000 tonnes of structural steelwork, erected over five portal frames with a 12m eave height, was needed to create the space required. Twin skinned cladding systems provide the external envelope of the building and the Category 1 jointless warehouse floor slab was cast in large 27,000ft². sections. In order to reduce the build time precast concrete panels were innovatively used to form the firewall between the warehouse and office accommodation and precast concrete units were used to form the loading docks.

The warehouse is protected by a sprinkler system fed from two one million litre storage tanks, access control and lock and management systems and a gatehouse. Further facilities include a vehicle wash and fuelling island. The project was negotiated with the customer following the success of our 750,000ft² warehouse for B&Q at Redhouse Interchange in Doncaster and employed the same team.