Coordinating shell construction with the production and installation of the mezzanine's material-handling equipment also required close communication, says Jason Wery, principal of project management for Cresa Phoenix.

"The integration of power requirements and timing with service to the building create quite a challenge for the material-handling vendor to work around on-going construction activities while installing their massive system," he says.

Power requirements for the building resulted in extensive engineering activities and coordination with Salt River Project, the Tempe-based power utility, including ensuring 6,500 kW of generator back-up requirements, Wery says.

Level-headed

In the high-bay area, narrow aisle turret trucks will reach high storage racks by moving along super-flat floors. The lifts are guided by wires embedded in cuts made in the concrete.

The wire guides the lift and keeps it straight down the aisle, says Andrew Geier, Layton's executive vice president. "This system, along with the super-flat floors, allows the operator to safely move down the aisle with the hoist extended—ultimately increasing productivity and protecting the inventory."

The costly floors, requiring specialized pours, screeding and testing, are designed to an F-min 100 standard because, as the truck's hoist reaches maximum height, the requirements for their stability become increasingly tight, Geier says.

To support the super-flat floors in the high-bay areas and the unique bearing capacity for the concrete and columns throughout the project, Layton laid down improved soil aggregate on the expansive clay soil for all 1.2 million sq ft of the building's footprint.

Low Taxes

Bringing approximately 300 jobs to southwest Phoenix, Prologis Park Riverside will benefit from being within the city's low-cost Riverside tax district. John S. Krueger, vice president at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council maintains that the Prologis project is a bellwether for future development. "This building reaffirms for me that the economy is improving," he says.

The council worked with Prologis to locate the park in the city and is helping the company with potential tenants for the two additional Prologis Riverside sites.

The remaining acres will be equally split between the LEED-targeted 486,241-sq-ft spec building, scheduled for a mid-March substantial completion by contractor Nitti Graycor, Homewood, Ill., and the adjacent slightly smaller 471,000-sq-ft building, which has not yet broken ground.

"Moving forward on our second [spec] building will be a judgment call based on deal velocity—not only for our current spec but also in the market as a whole," says Jeff Foster, vice president-market officer for Prologis. "Clearly, if we lease it up here in the next few months, we'll be more motivated to move forward with the second building."