Contractor crews place a wall panel at the port’s Centennial Industrial Building in July. Construction is scheduled for completion in early 2018.

Crews building the Port of Vancouver USA’s Centennial Industrial Building (CIB) reached a major milestone this summer as they tilted up the 60-plus concrete panels that form the facility’s walls.

Crews with port contractor Corp Inc. used cranes and rigging to erect the more than 40-foot-tall, 8.5-inch-thick walls they constructed over the spring and early summer to enclose the 125,000 square feet of warehouse space. Crews formed up the panels on top of the already-poured concrete floor, using a special coating to keep the walls from adhering to the floor while they cured.

Now that the walls are up, crews will install steel columns, girders and roof joists. Steel decking is secured on top of the girders and then topped with thick layers of rigid foam insulation. Crews will then lay a cover board and a fully adhered, PVC membrane to protect the roof, which is designed to be solar-ready for up to five panel arrays that can be installed in the center of the roof.

The roof will also have fall protection features to help support the safety of port maintenance crews, including anchor points for harness tie-off and a reflective warning strip around the roof perimeter.

After the structure is assembled, crews will paint the exterior and plant native landscaping to conserve water and lower maintenance costs. CIB is expected to be complete in early 2018.

Built-in sustainability
The way CIB is designed and being constructed allows the port to apply for Green Globes certification. Green Globes is a third-party certification program that recognizes sustainable building design and construction that conserve resources and enhance customer well-being.

Some of the features that will help CIB achieve two Green Globes are the electrical system, LED lighting, solar-ready roof, bird-safe windows and lighting, low-maintenance landscaping, enhanced stormwater treatment facilities and utility infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations. Additional Green Globes could be awarded through sustainable tenant improvements.

CIB is a cold shell, meaning it has an unfinished interior without office space, lighting, plumbing, electrical outlets and other features so it can be customized and demised for tenants through a lease agreement with the port.

The port is pre-leasing now; for more information, please contact Director of Business Development Mike Schiller at mschiller@portvanusa.com or Commercial and Industrial Sales Manager Chrissy Lyons at clyons@portvanusa.com.