Albertson's Grocery Distribution Center,
Melrose Park, Ill.

Development Team
OWNER: Albertson's Inc., Boise, Idaho
OPERATOR: Jewel Food Stores, Melrose Park, Ill.
ARCHITECTURE, CIVIL ENGINEERING, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, MEP AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: A. Epstein and Sons International Inc., Chicago
ROOF RAISING: Liftplate International, Miami
ELECTRICAL: Encompass Electric Technologies, Skokie, Ill.
HVAC/PLUMBING: Hill Mechanical, Chicago
FIRE PROTECTION: S.A. Comunale Co. Inc., Baberton, Ohio
STRUCTURAL STEEL: Lichtenwald-Johnston Iron Works Co., Morton Grove, Ill.
ROOFING: E.W. Olson Roofing Inc., Markham, Ill.

The project involved the 156,000-sq.-ft. expansion of an existing 630,000-sq.-ft. facility. The project called for raising the roof to a clear height of 38 ft.

The expansion plus roof raising increased the capacity of the facility to more than 18.5 million cu. ft.

A Colossal Center

The size and magnitude of raising the 630,000-sq.-ft. roof was a top challenge.
The raising was phased over a 2 1/2-year period. In addition, the roof was raised in five sequentially phased lifts to accommodate its sheer size.

Full warehouse operations were maintained in all areas adjacent to each lift throughout the process. This included safe, weather-protected employee and material handling equipment access through each lift area while in progress.

The project schedule, which was conceived in 1999, has been met for every lift despite several adverse winter and spring seasons.

A conveyor and palletization system that included 48 palletizing stations fed by two separate high-speed sorters and six 3-ft.-high pick modules was installed in the expansion area during the modernization. The system significantly increased the facility's productivity and ability to accommodate market growth in the Chicago area.

The jury said, "A logistics nightmare. They increased the capacity of the structure not by moving out but up - they raised the roof of this large facility. A very challenging effort. The facility stayed in operation the entire time. It's an awesome task to raise a roof. Safety issues were a big concern. One of the toughest challenges in the entire set of submissions."

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