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DCData Centers & Mission-CriticalMechanical, electrical, plumbing, civil, structural, architectural, controls, ICT, and fire — coordinated for reliabilityINDIndustrial & Production FacilitiesProcess interfaces, utilities, multi-discipline designLOGLogistics & DistributionLarge-scale buildings, civil, MEP, fire systemsROBRobotics & Automated FacilitiesPower infrastructure, control systems, smart factory MEPEVElectric Vehicles & Advanced ManufacturingHigh-current power, process MEP, complex technical interfacesPHAPharmaceutical & Life SciencesCleanrooms, controlled environments, MEP compliance
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ENG
Integrated Design and Engineering8 disciplines in-house · concept to construction documentation
BIM
BIM & Digital DeliveryModel federation · ISO 19650 · CDE management · clash detection
MEP
Reliable Building SystemsPower · cooling · controls · fire safety · utility interfaces
PCM
Project Coordination & ManagementInterface management · design reviews · issue tracking
AUT
Engineering Automation & Digital ToolsRevit automation · BIM checks · calculations · reporting
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Large logistics and distribution facility with loading docks and vehicle yards

Movement shapes the logistics facility

Design and engineering for buildings where vehicle flow, storage, safety, building systems, and automation determine operational capacity

Discuss the operation

One continuous operation

Every metre supports movement

Logistics performance is created across the whole site. A delay at the gate, dock, aisle, charging point, or dispatch zone becomes a building constraint.

  1. Approach

    Vehicles arrive

    Road geometry, gates, queues, security, and swept paths establish the site capacity before a vehicle reaches the building.

  2. Receive

    Goods cross the dock

    Dock count, levellers, staging depth, floor levels, weather protection, and fire separation shape the receiving edge.

  3. Store

    Volume meets structure

    Racking, clear height, bay grids, slab loads, fire protection, and environmental conditions define usable storage capacity.

  4. Handle

    Orders move inside

    People, forklifts, conveyors, robotics, charging, power, data, and safe routes must support the required throughput.

  5. Dispatch

    Loads return to the yard

    Picking, checking, consolidation, outbound staging, dock allocation, and vehicle circulation complete the operating cycle.

Capacity is won or lost at the interfaces

The warehouse floor is only one part of the operation. Site movement, fire strategy, structures, building services, and automation have to support the same demand.

Site and dock capacity

Can vehicles reach, wait, turn, load, and leave without constraining the operation?

  • Heavy goods vehicle circulation and swept paths
  • Gate, queue, parking, and security layouts
  • Dock count, levellers, shelters, ramps, and yard slabs
  • Stormwater, external lighting, fire access, and utilities
A site plan linked to vehicle demand, peak movement, and building throughput

Storage and life safety

Can the planned storage density work with the structure and fire strategy?

  • Structural bay grid, clear height, floor loading, and flatness
  • Racking and automated equipment interfaces
  • Sprinklers, compartmentation, detection, and smoke control
  • Evacuation, protected openings, and fire-service access
Storage capacity resolved without separating racking, structure, and fire protection

Systems and automation

Can building services sustain the operating profile and future change?

  • Heating, ventilation, lighting, and power distribution
  • Charging for material-handling equipment and vehicle fleets
  • Power, controls, and data for conveyors and automation
  • Metering, resilience, maintenance access, and expansion allowances
Infrastructure sized around operating modes rather than generic area allowances

The operating model changes the building

Warehouse is a category, not a complete brief. Storage conditions and handling technology determine which interfaces lead the design.

Ambient warehouseScale, fire zones, and repeatable bays

Large footprints depend on a disciplined relationship between bay grid, dock rhythm, racking, fire compartments, roof drainage, and external infrastructure.

  • Structural grid and clear height aligned with racking and docks
  • Sprinkler and smoke-control layouts coordinated above storage
  • Site circulation and drainage developed with the building footprint
Cold-chain facilityTemperature, vapour control, and energy

Refrigeration loads, insulated envelopes, vapour barriers, frost protection, drainage, and higher storage density create tightly connected architectural and engineering decisions.

  • Refrigeration plant and heat-rejection interfaces coordinated
  • Thermal bridges and vapour barriers resolved at penetrations
  • Floor, foundation, and racking loads checked for dense storage
Cross-dock facilityDock intensity and short dwell time

A cross-dock building is governed by fast transfer rather than long-term storage, so staging depth, dock frequency, traffic, and internal routes lead the design.

  • Dock spacing and structural bays aligned with staging lanes
  • Roads and yards designed for frequent heavy vehicle movement
  • Building services configured for throughput and occupied work zones
Automated storagePrecision, power, controls, and data

Automated storage and retrieval systems introduce strict slab tolerances, high rack loads, equipment envelopes, controls, network infrastructure, and maintenance access.

  • Slab tolerances and rails coordinated before construction issue
  • Structure checked against high-bay rack and equipment actions
  • Power, controls, data, and safety interfaces documented by zone

BIM-based delivery

The model holds the operating logic

Building information modelling connects layout decisions to the information required by project teams, contractors, and operators.

  1. Operating assumptions

    Volumes, vehicle profiles, storage media, shifts, peak conditions, automation, and future allowances form the shared design basis.

  2. Spatial coordination

    Yards, docks, racking, equipment, fire zones, structures, systems, and maintenance clearances are tested in one environment.

  3. Technical decisions

    Reviews connect each open issue to capacity, safety, cost, programme, construction, or future operation.

  4. Issued information

    Models, drawings, schedules, calculations, and decision records are prepared for approval, tender, construction, and handover.

Building information model of a standard logistics warehouse
SiteBuildingSystemsOperation

Design controls that protect throughput

A coordinated package should preserve the logic behind the layout, not only describe the final geometry.

Flow remains measurable

Dock count, vehicle movement, staging, storage, and handling routes stay connected to the throughput assumptions behind them.

Fire strategy shapes the layout

Compartmentation, sprinklers, smoke control, evacuation, and fire access are coordinated with storage geometry from the start.

Change is designed in

Expansion zones, replacement routes, spare capacity, automation interfaces, and maintainable access are treated as design inputs.

Project examples

Related project work

See how the same design and engineering capabilities appear in real project scope, interfaces, and deliverables.

All projects

Logistics design and engineering

Start with the movement the facility must support

Define the operating brief