Epstein provided DesignBuild services for VWR International's LEED-NC Silver 500,499-square-foot laboratory equipment distribution facility.
This facility features approximately 10,000 square feet of office space, including a 4,200-square-foot mezzanine, and two separate 10,000 square foot temperature and humidity controlled areas.
Approximately 42,000 square feet of storage is also temperature and humidity controlled and is enclosed by fire-rated enclosures for hazardous material storage.
The VWR distribution center has a total of 30 dock door positions, 15 dedicated to shipping operations and 15 dedicated to receiving operations. Within the open warehouse area there is a two-level rack supported pick-module, deck-racked high-bay storage and pallet rack high bay storage. The distribution center is fully sprinkled with a top-of-product storage height of 32'-0" clear within the main warehouse area.
The civil scope of work included plans and specifications for the expansion of the employee parking area and associated grading, pavement design, utility design and coordination.
The VWR DC featured numerous sustainable design features, including:
• Heat Island Effect Reduction via a high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) Roof
• 21.31% of the site is open vegetated space (5.66 acres of the 26.55 acre site)
• 74% water use reduction for landscape irrigation saving 1,061,986 gallons annually
• 40% water use reduction through high efficiency flush/flow fixtures saving 85,830 gallons annually
• 52% of all new wood products (by cost) were Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified
• Only Low-emitting paints, adhesives, flooring systems and composite wood products were used
• New Light fixtures were lamped with low-mercury fluorescent lamps and implementation of a toxic material source reduction operations plan
This new facility helps to enhance VWR's distribution network and continues to provide a productive supply chain solution for the Western United States.
