Pre-planning in construction is one of the most fundamental aspects to a project’s success. In the case of the Bulldog Cartage project, our team worked with the family-owned company as a design-assist partner to help create their vision and develop an implementation plan.
Together, with the design team and Bulldog Cartage, we determined early on in planning that receiving zoning approval for a new freestanding building on the same property as Porter Pipe would be a challenge. That’s where creativity became key. Our project team dug in, analyzed several options, and determined that if they ran steel decking between the two buildings along with an access gate for deliveries, the new building would be classified as an addition. Thinking outside the box and executing on creative ideas resulted in getting this construction project off the ground.
Building on a site next to a busy, fully-functioning warehouse with all-day trucking activities requires thorough logistical planning. We developed a phased site work and concrete plan in preconstruction that allowed the main drive lane to remain open and accessible throughout construction, so as not to disrupt operations.
In addition, we overcame the most challenging aspect of the project early on. As a result of the building’s large footprint, we needed a place to store stormwater. Initially, the plan was to direct stormwater runoff to an underground retention vault. After further evaluation, we determined it would exceed the project’s budget. Ultimately, our team determined that a retention pond would properly store the stormwater and would be within budget. Using structural clay, our team of trade partners created a 10’ high dam to properly hold the stormwater. Due to its proximity to a neighboring railroad, the pond had to be classified as a Class II Dam by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. This classification added another level of permit coordination with the State and the Village of Addison.
Robbie Stangle, Project Executive at Reed said, “As construction managers, we often find ourselves in situations where we need to think creatively and utilize our project team’s collective experience and knowledge to make projects happen for our clients. The Bulldog Cartage project allowed us the opportunity to collaborate with Ownership, design and trade partners. It takes all of us working together with the Owner to accomplish this type of problem-solving. We collaborated hand-in-hand and successfully overcame challenges around zoning and stormwater.”
As a result of Reed Construction’s extensive pre-planning, the project was set up for success. Now complete, the 55,000 square foot warehouse provides Bulldog Cartage with the specialized space required for their staging, storage, and shipping needs.