Challenging Traditional Design Methods for Tradepoint Atlantic

The sprawling 3,100-acre Tradepoint Atlantic at Sparrows Point campus is becoming North America’s premier industrial gateway. Strategically located in Baltimore near major transportation hubs for road, rail, and sea, it provides more than 15 million SF for logistics, distribution, manufacturing, and retail. Bohler has worked with developer Tradepoint Atlantic on multiple aspects of the development, including civil engineering design for over three million SF of distribution and fulfillment center space and various parcels for potential future tenants.

At the core of Tradepoint Atlantic’s development goals was speed to market – delivering their vision of an intermodal global logistics hub to the country’s industrial industry as quickly as possible. To help accomplish this, Bohler worked diligently alongside Baltimore County and Tradepoint’s development team to complete plan approval and permitting for individual projects within the development in a mere six months—cutting the typical project timeline nearly in half. By leveraging local relationships and challenging the traditional design approach, Bohler found ways to keep the expedited project schedule on track, while identifying opportunities for cost savings, despite a complex design.

Identifying Creative Utility Solutions

Existing underground foundations and old buildings complicated the site’s utility design. Bohler’s team, in coordination with Tradepoint Atlantic and the contractor, devised a solution that minimized the amount of foundation to be removed by placing parallel pipes within the same trench. Bohler also challenged the norm by using two smaller sewer pipes on opposite sides of the building, rather than a single large pipe deep in the ground, cutting both costs and construction time.

Maximizing Stormwater Management Efficiency

Bohler created opportunities to keep the project on track by looking beyond traditional stormwater management practices and identifying creative solutions for the large waterfront site. Instead of incorporating several small stormwater basins, our team designed one large-scale pond, which was more efficient to construct. Because the site was flat and needed to be raised, Bohler also balanced the amounts of fill and drainage required, identifying the most cost-effective quantity of each.

In flipping the script on traditional engineering design methods, Bohler helped Tradepoint Atlantic create and realize new opportunities for their investment, while keeping the project moving through a complicated approvals process. Ultimately, Bohler’s team helped Tradepoint Atlantic accomplish its goal of developing the significant industrial project in an expedited timeframe.