COSTCO Wholesale Regional Distribution Center

Cost: $60 million

Development Team

Owner: Costco Wholesale Corp., Issaquah, Wash.
General Contractor: Kajima Construction Services Inc., Rochelle Park, N.J.
Architect: Jerry Quinn Lee, Bellevue, Wash.
Structural Engineer: Engineers Northwest, Seattle, Wash.
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: T.E. Inc., Tukwila,Wash.
Civil Engineer: Bohler Engineering, Watchung, N.J.
Concrete Contractor: GMAC LLC, Depford, N.J.

The largest industrial building constructed in the New York area in 2002 was the 850,000-sq.-ft. Costco Wholesale Regional Distribution Center in Monroe, N.J.

The $60 million facility also had the distinction of having the most concrete poured of any project in New Jersey in 2002 - a total of 100,000 cu. yds.

Located just off the New Jersey Turnpike, the new dry-storage facility is connected to Costco Wholesale Corp.'s 2-year-old, 277,000-sq.-ft. cold storage depot, which underwent renovation and improvement at the same time.

The new dry-storage facility used concrete precast walls. Both the walls and floors used a 4,000 psi non-air entrained mix with a high amount of course aggregate to reduce shrinkage, cracking and curling. Each of the 25 individual floor pours took in excess of 1000 cu. yds. per day. A laser screed helped the concrete contractor, GMAC LLC of Depford, N.J., achieve an average floor flatness value of 85 on the building.

Simultaneous with the construction of the building, crews built the concrete parking area. Costco needed pavement that could handle heavy use by all sorts of vehicles. The concrete mix used met ACI 318 code requirements in conjunction with a 6 percent air and a low slump. It provided a dense workable mix that far exceeded the strength required.