Amscan Warehouse

Cost: $45 million

Development Team

Owner: Amscan Inc., Elmsford, N.Y.
Design/Build Contractor: Clayco Construction Co., St. Louis
Architect: Mitchell & Hugeback Architects Inc, Creve Courer, Mo.
Civil Engineer: Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers Inc., St. Louis
Technical Consultant: Schoor DePalma Inc., Manalapan, N.J.
Foundations and Tilt-Up Contractor: Clayco Tilt-Up, St. Louis
Electrical Contractor: Perreca Electric Co. Inc., Newburgh, N.Y.
Mechanical Contractor: SystemAire, Inc, Earth City, Mo.
Plumbing Contractor: Davidson & Howard, Inc., Fairfield, N.J.

The major challenge in constructing the new 526,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Chester, N.Y. for Amscan Inc., a designer, manufacturer and distributor of party supplies, came before construction began.

Amscan had chosen a 50-acre tract near an area of wetlands that it was dedicated to preserving from the start. On the construction site itself, several small areas of soft clay were the only known trouble spots.

Schoor DePalma Inc. of Manalapan, N.J., the project's lead technical adviser, found that the site had a massive section of soft clay. Stabilization was necessary before breaking ground to minimize the threat of serious postconstruction settlement.

Clayco Construction Co., the project's design-build contractor based in St. Louis, consulting with Schoor DePalma, decided to use chemical subgrade stabilization. Limestone was imported and mixed with the soil, chemically drying it. Additionally, rock from a local quarry was used to fill in some areas. The soil was ready for construction, as hoped, in May 2001.

Once construction got underway, things proceeded smoothly. By August, the fit-out of the $45 million project was essentially complete. The new warehouse is 4 stories high with 508,566 sq. ft. of warehouse space and 18,000 sq. ft. of offices, a cafeteria and locker rooms.