Two Grade A manufacturing & logistics units from 8,600 sqm

In 2015, it needed a new distribution warehouse for its bicycles. Verdion was selected and we built and handed over the 25,381 sq m logistics facility where the company now stores around 150,000 bikes for distribution around Europe.

With our funding partner, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), we then delivered a new 32,230 sq m facility in 2021, adjacent to the first logistics warehouse and incorporating 26,500 sq m of state-of-the-art production and storage facilities, 5,730 sq m of inspiring office and communal accommodation, as well as car and cycle parking.

Specialist production-plant knowledge

Bicycle production lines demand highly skilled precision- engineering and craftsmanship, from lacing the spokes of the wheels, to spray-painting, attaching the decals and screwing together the components in the final assembly. We designed the facility jointly with Kalkhoff, drawing on our specialist knowledge of production plants and paint shops.

Another highlight within the facility is the new Kalkhoff brand world, showcasing new models alongside displays telling the story of the brand, as well as a new test track.

Going forward, our asset management team are continuing to work with Kalkhoff to make sure the facility delivers outstanding performance for many years to come.

We were selected with our partner the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) for designs that incorporated a production plant, distribution centre, research and development laboratory, and offices and communal areas surrounded by landscaping and open space on a 27,000 sq m plot.

Sustainable technologies

More than simply focusing on an efficient building design for its business, we designed a facility that will reflect the company’s corporate ethos and provide a stimulating and productive place to work.

Maintaining a sterile environment is key to the purity of the analysis work Xylem carries out, so movements around its facility need to be carefully managed. A key feature of our design is the physical separation of the office accommodation, with its looser requirements, from the production and R&D areas.

Expanding on local zoning requirements, the facility includes a green roof, photovoltaic system, ‘sun collectors’ for producing warm water for the heating system, and a rainwater recycling system that showcases Xylem’s corporate goal of improving the way water is used, conserved and re-used.

Completed in 2022, the 19,250 sq m property is located on a 34,350 sq m plot in the Rudolf-Diesel-Strasse 11-13 in Henstedt-Ulzburg, one of the most important logistics hubs and the largest agglomeration of the aeronautics industry in Germany, only a few minutes’ drive from Hamburg Airport.

Hazardous goods storage

It encompasses 15,350 sq m of warehouse including four separate hazardous materials areas in which different levels of hazardous goods can be stored safely. The facility also includes 750 sq m of office and communal space, a 2,500 sq m standalone office building and 153 parking spaces. Verdion worked closely with the Boeing team to conceptualise the space to create an efficient layout and guarantee the security of sensitive goods, and has targeted a DGNB Gold sustainability certificate, with one contributing factor being the preparation of the roof for solar panels which Boeing will install on site.

After securing the new site for Boeing and bringing on board Warburg-HIH Invest as a partner, Verdion managed the high technical and safety-related complexity of the specialist warehouse throughout the planning and construction process.