Walmart Import Center

Walmart’s import and cross-dock facility in Mobile, Alabama serves as a logistical hub for several southeast regional distribution centers, with an anticipated 600 trailers turned every day.  The facility is Walmart’s sixth import distribution center in the nation and, at just under 2.6 million square feet and 2,200 trailer staging spaces, it is one of the largest.  The building is nearly three-quarters of a mile long, covers nearly 60 acres, and includes over 40 miles of racking.

The building was designed to meet Factory Mutual design requirements, including a maximum foreseeable loss wall, as well as the requirements of a high-velocity hurricane zone.  Multiple offices, breakrooms, and restrooms are located throughout the facility to serve the associates working inside.

CSO’s ongoing work with Walmart includes the following services:

    • Continual improvements and refinements of multiple distribution and fulfillment center prototypes
    • Architect of record for active distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Tenant Architect for developer-delivered distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Post-occupancy renovations across multiple fulfillment centers
    • Developing, documenting, and maintaining prototypical components utilized across new builds and renovations of distribution and fulfillment centers

Regal Beloit

Wisconsin-based Regal Beloit Corporation is a leading manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation, and power transmission products serving markets throughout the world. Regal Beloit decided that it needed another distribution center along with the main one in Indianapolis, and this location was the right fit to service the western half of the United States.

CSO designed a new facility to house heavy industrial goods used to make metal components for HVAC and refrigerator applications, and to provide logistics support to Regal’s manufacturing plants across the border in Mexico. The facility is expandable to 300,000 square feet and was completed in less than a year.

Walmart eCommerce Fulfillment Centers

CSO has been engaged on several of Walmart’s eCommerce fulfilment centers in multiple capacities.  These massive buildings are dedicated to fulfilling Walmart.com’s online orders. They are highly automated buildings requiring extensive coordination with multiple Walmart departments.  The buildings include automated shipping and receiving sorters, order consolidation sorters, pallet flow modules, manual and automated pack stations, and an extensive manual pick module.  Additionally, office space, breakrooms, training rooms, restroom facilities, and secure entrances are included to support the needs of the associates who work within the building.

CSO’s relationship with Walmart varies based upon the project delivery for the facility.  Our role includes:

    • Working with various Walmart departments to help establish building criteria in order to accommodate material handling
    • Planning for accommodations for the associates working in the building
    • Developing overall building plans that meet the specific needs of the project
    • Coordinating with a general contractor for Walmart owned projects
    • Coordinating with a developer for facilities leased by Walmart
    • Ensuring that delivery of the project is as expected to the end users.

CSO’s ongoing work with Walmart includes the following services:

    • Continual improvements and refinements of multiple distribution and fulfillment center prototypes
    • Architect of record for active distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Tenant Architect for developer-delivered distribution and fulfillment center projects
    • Post-occupancy renovations across multiple fulfillment centers
    • Developing, documenting, and maintaining prototypical components utilized across new builds and renovations of distribution and fulfillment centers

Velocity 65

CSO’s design for the first three speculative buildings incorporates an innovative use of angled, perforated cladding to create a sculptural entry façade.  The detail above the entrance on Building 1, which is complete, is a subtle “V”-shape in both plan and elevation, resulting in a dynamic form composed of simple parts.

Building 1 is a 721,050 square foot distribution facility with modern logistics and warehouse technologies. The facility features a 36’ clear height, 140’ depth truck courts, 72 loading docks, 175 car parking spaces, and 72 trailer parking spaces.

CSO also designed Building 2, an approximately 908,000 square foot distribution facility, and Building 3, a 711,975 square foot facility.