View source for Wasdell Production Facility, Dundalk

==Article in [http://www.newsteelconstruction.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/digi/NSC_Feb19digi/pubData/source/NSC_Feb19digi.pdf#page=10 NSC February 2019]==
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'''Packaging factory is all in the frame'''<br>
[[Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Speed of construction|Speed of delivery]] and ease of [[Construction|construction]] are just two of the reasons why a steel-framed solution was chosen for a manufacturing facility in Ireland. 

Leading pharmaceutical packaging company Wasdell Group is building a new production facility in the Republic of Ireland that will service the local and international healthcare industries. The new [[Single_storey_industrial_buildings|steel-framed facility]], located in Dundalk, has a floor area of approximately 6,500m<sup>2</sup> and will house 12 bespoke production suites within a large production area, separate goods-in and despatch zones, offices and will eventually employ 300 staff.

Commenting on the facility, Wasdell Group Managing Director Martin Tedham says: “We have always had a strong customer base in Ireland and we are certain that this trend will continue with the impending Brexit situation as companies, typically from the UK and USA, look to securing a base to service their European markets. We have always been a business that changes to accommodate the needs of the market and its customer base. Having a facility in Ireland and the European market makes sense and we are very excited about this new opportunity, as well as extending our geographical footprint.”
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The project is being built on a 2.9-hectare greenfield site on the IDA Science & Technology Park on the southern outskirts of the Irish town. Main contractor Kilcawley Construction started work on the project last summer and began with a six-week bulk excavation programme to prepare a flat plot on the previously sloping site. “During this programme we excavated 10,000m<sup>3</sup> of rock and moved 40,000m<sup>3</sup> of soil, before installing the pad foundations for the steelwork,” says Kilcawley Construction Contracts Manager Sheamus Tierney.

The steel frame has been designed as three separate structures that are linked together and feature precast [[Single_storey_buildings_in_fire_boundary_conditions|fire walls]] to divide up the main spaces. Central to the facility is a large column-free production area, which has been formed with a series of 48m-long [[Trusses|trusses]]. A two-storey office block is attached to the front elevation of the production area, and this 12m-deep structure gains all of its [[Concept_design#Structural options for stability|stability]] from its larger neighbour. Meanwhile, running the entire length of the production area’s rear elevation is an attached plant [[Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Mezzanines|mezzanine]].

Either side of the production zone, two attached [[Portal_frames|portal frames]], one with a 28m span and the other measuring 42m wide, accommodate the goods in and despatch areas. “Because the project features three [[Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Flexibility and adaptability|long span column-free spaces]], steel was obvious choice of framing material,” says a spokesperson for Malachi Cullen Consulting Engineers. “Steelwork also offered us the quickest and most versatile method of [[Construction|construction]], as well as the convenience of having the elements [[Fabrication|fabricated]] offsite.”
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Steelwork contractor Walter Watson began its programme by [[Construction#Steel erection|erecting]] the large production area first and then building the attached [[Portal_frames|portal frames]] at either end. The 48m-long [[Trusses|trusses]] that create the roof and the column-free space for the production area were [[Fabrication|fabricated]] in three sections, which consisted of a 12m-long centre section and two outer 18m-long sections.

“To [[Construction#Steel erection|erect]] these large elements, our methodology involved having six large skids laid out on the ground and levelled. Three [[Trusses|truss]] sections were then laid out horizontally on top of the skids and the [[Trusses#Types of connections|splice connections]] fully bolted-up using [[Preloaded_bolting#HRC method|tension control bolts]], explains Walter Watson General Manager Structural Division Trevor Irvine. “Two of our own 80t-capacity [[Construction#Mobile cranes|cranes]] then lifted each assembled [[Trusses|truss]] into the vertical position before hoisting it into its final place as a tandem lift. After it was connected to the columns, one [[Construction#Mobile cranes|crane]] was released and the secondary [[Trusses|trusses]] were fitted to provide [[Concept_design#Structural options for stability|stability]], before the main [[Trusses|truss]] was released by the second [[Construction#Mobile cranes|crane]].”

When fully assembled, each of the [[Trusses|trusses]] weighed 21.5t and measured 2.8m-deep at the eaves and 3.3m-deep at the apex. They are all supported on 15m-high columns spaced at 6m centres.

Mirroring the same column spacing, the adjoining office block and [[Single_storey_industrial_buildings#Mezzanines|mezzanine]] plant deck are both constructed with a traditional beam and column method. Both have upper floors formed with steel beams supporting [[Floor_systems#Precast units|precast planks]]. While the office block steelwork was being finished, two precast [[Single_storey_buildings_in_fire_boundary_conditions|fire walls]] were installed at both gable ends of the production area in readiness for the [[Portal_frames|portal-framed]] sheds to be built. The walls have large openings in the middle to allow the flow of products between the three parts of the facility.
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Both [[Portal_frames|portals]] were [[Construction#Steel erection|erected]] in a similar manner, with a pair of 60t-capacity [[Construction#Mobile cranes|mobile cranes]] lifting one rafter each. The final [[Portal_frames#Connections|central splice]] was completed while the cranes were still holding the rafters in position. For the smaller [[Portal_frames|portal frame]], the rafters are [[Steel section sizes|533 × 21UB sections]] in 14m-long lengths, while [[Steel section sizes|686 × 254UBs]] in 21m lengths were used for the other portal.

The Dundalk Wasdell facility is due to be handed over in summer 2019.

{|class="wikitable" width="400"
|-
|'''Architect'''||OCA Architects
|-
|'''Structural Engineer'''||Malachi Cullen Consulting Engineers
|-
|'''Steelwork Contractor'''||Walter Watson
|-
|'''Main Contractor'''||Kilcawley Construction
|-
|'''Main Client'''||Wasdell Group
|}

[[Category:Case studies - Single storey industrial buildings]]