Maritime Economic Development: Vancouver USA
Vancouver USA: Sustainable Design, State-of-the-Industry Features for Port’s Centennial Industrial Building
An artist’s rendering of Centennial Industrial Building, looking south toward the port’s marine terminals and the Columbia River
The Port of Vancouver USA is pressing forward with the planned construction of a 125,000-square-foot industrial building.
The Centennial Industrial Building (CIB) will be a state-of-the-industry facility with dock and grade doors, on-site office space, easy access for tractors and trailer turn around, and ample electrical supply.
Customizable for one to five tenants, with easy access to Interstate 5, rail transload centers and the 43-foot-deep Columbia River, CIB will be ideal for new or expanding businesses in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution.
The port has hired architecture and commercial real estate firms to collaborate on design and permitting for a cold shell building with a durable concrete slab floor and tilt-up walls.
The CIB will have a 32-foot interior clearance. The floor slab will be 6.5 inches thick – half an inch thicker than standard – to support heavier loads for interior racking and storage. The roof will feature a durable, fully adhered PVC membrane. A portion of the roof will also be built to solar-ready standards to accommodate future solar energy equipment.
CIB is being designed with early suppression fast response (ESFR) sprinkler systems. Ideal for storage and distribution facilities, ESFR systems target a fire’s source and extinguish it rather than just controlling a fire until responders arrive.
In addition to being solar ready, the building design incorporates LED lighting; native landscaping; utility infrastructure for future vehicle charging stations; bird-safe windows and lighting; trapped catch basins; oil-water separators in the truck bays; and stringent storm water management requirements.
Sustainable landscaping with native plants means low-water, low-maintenance landscapes around CIB’s exterior. The lot also includes a public trail constructed and maintained by the port. The trail connects to a larger trail system planned for Centennial Industrial Park and adjacent to the natural areas of the Columbia River Wetland Mitigation Bank.
The port and its consultants are moving through the design and permitting with the City of Vancouver this summer. Construction is expected to begin this fall, with completion scheduled for mid-2017.