Frost Engineering & Consulting designed two steel mezzanines to be constructed in support of the client’s installation of new automated palletizer equipment on the ground level, affecting a floor plan area of approximately 7,000 sq. ft. These mezzanines needed to clear-span over 37 ft in one horizontal direction and support existing storage racks over 70-ft tall that were to remain in service during construction. These existing storage racks also supported the building facility’s existing steel-framed roof.

The total project cost approximately $8 million with a total project time for design work of approximately 8 months. The structure consisted of reinforced concrete footings and grade beams on helical piers, and hot-rolled steel framing with braced connections in every plane. Frost designed all of the aforementioned components and their corresponding connection details by adhering to the State Building Code and OSHA requirements, as well as by applying the equations and methodologies of IBC, ASCE 7, ACI 318, and AISC 360.