In the winter of 2020, we secured our largest precast concrete panel project in the 65-year history of our business. We ​​collaborated with Montreal-based Broccolini Construction on our second large-scale Amazon warehouse (the first being an Amazon fulfilment center in Ottawa). Located in Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, the 720,000 sq. ft. warehouse will be the new home for the e-commerce giant, Amazon. It will not only be the country's most advanced sort centre, but the first facility in Canada to integrate Amazon Robotics’ leading-edge mobile fulfilment systems.

Between December 2020 and April 2021, we engineered, manufactured and installed over 650 precast panels, ranging from eight to 44 feet long, and covering a total of 125,000 sq. ft. “It was a pleasure to coordinate the project documents with the team of Central Precast,” said Normand Côté – Architect/Partner at GKC Architecture & Design. “They respected the requirement criteria and made sure to execute their production of the panels in relation to the architectural design layout.”

Due to tight construction schedules, extreme winter conditions and slight construction delays, our production facility ran for 14 weeks, seven days a week, even over the holidays. This meant we were on track with deliveries and installations, and stayed ahead of schedule for the entire duration of the project. Our team installed 650 precast panels in just under nine weeks!

Our Thermowall insulated panels maximize the thermal requirements of the building, leading to more energy savings over the entire life of the structure, providing long-term savings for the client. We used a standard grey mix design for the warehouse in a form finish with false joint reveals. The office space made use of our architectural precast capabilities and used a random depth plank pattern for the exterior façade, providing a unique appearance for the front entrance. Due to the size and length of the insulated panels, pre-stressing strands acted as the main reinforcing, which we then fastened to the steel structure of the warehouse. All precast panels were later painted to match the client’s desired look.

The completed Amazon Sortation Center will create at least 500 jobs for Coteau-du-Lac and the surrounding community. This project was an incredible milestone for Central Precast and another highlight to our large portfolio of precast projects.

Approx. 90,000 cubic feet of concrete was used during the manufacturing process of the precast panels. (That’s equivalent to filling up an Olympic-sized swimming pool with concrete).

Between February and April 2021, 225 deliveries were made, travelling over 35,000 km from their production facility in Ottawa to Coteau-Du-Lac. That’s like driving from the furthest points east to west in North America seven times! (5,514 km from Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador to the Yukon and Alaska boundary).

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