Pilsen, Production unit GHP Direct Mail Radčice

The new production unit has been constructed on a green field site in close vicinity to existing production premises of the developer.

Information:

Location:	Pilsen
Investor:	GHP Direct Mail
Realization:	HOCHTIEF VSB division 1
Type:	New construction
Construction time:	07/2005 - 03/2006
Main indicators:	production: 15 000 m3 built-up space warehouse: 23 000 m3 built-up space incoming drive: 400 m
Description:	Following its completion, the structure will function as a manufacturing and storage plant for GHP Direct Mail, a company producing leaflets, brochures and other publications. The GHP Radčice branch office will form an addition to the other company’s plants, mainly sited in Germany, bringing the total to over forty premises. The construction lies on a very important archaeological site, where remains of the Hallstatt civilisation, known for their burial mounds, have been discovered in the past. It is of little wonder, therefore, that excavating works took place under the scrutiny and supervision of archaeologists. Indeed, after soil was stripped away, two cremation graves containing ceramic splinters were discovered in the place where a new road is to be built. Despite this archaeological research, construction work was not hindered at all. It was essential to carry out the execution of the project in several stages. The first stage comprised relocating underground high-tension electric lines and high- and medium-pressure gas lines in the shortest possible time from places where the production and storage hall itself should stand. This work, including the building of a new high-pressure gas regulation station, was finalised in early September last year, with everything being put into tentative operation in the middle of the same month. Only then was it possible to commence removing the soil and starting work on the main building site. In addition to this first stage, new sewage and mains water pipes as well as a new access road for haulage vehicles were added, as the developer intends to produce about 40 lorry loads of publications a day. This also necessitated building a freight yard. An almost 500m long rainwater drain lies beside the access road and runs parallel to Český Telecom and Karneval TV cables, approximately 400m in length, leading towards a trench beneath the Radčice – Malešice road. The aim of the second stage of the construction was to build a hall with an administration annex by 20th December 2005, so that the developer could start installing his equipment required for manufacturing. The team achieved this in less than three months mainly due to its wealth of experience in constructing such buildings and, of course, its well organised construction team. The single storey hall, absent of any basement floor, consists of two sections – production, being 66mx31m and 7.3m in height – and storage - 66mx31m and 11.3m in height. Both sections feature columns of reinforced concrete with wooden tie beams. They are founded on large diameter piles and clad in Kingspan sandwich panels. Window bands and polycarbonate roof skylights let in natural daylight. A transport ramp with hydraulic bridges facilitates the handling of goods. Sectional gate doors enable entrance into the hall. The monopitch roof of shallow angle with parapet guttering has two levels of height. The developer imposed high demands on fitting floors of reinforced fibre concrete in both sections – the production facility and especially in the storeroom, which contains storage units with six levels of shelving. While the hall was under construction, outside works continued to progress, including the fitting of utility lines, roads, emergency fire reservoirs, entrance gate building and fencing. It was especially important, due to weather conditions, to complete all underground lines and lay the final coating of bitumen on roads by the end of November. The third and final phase included finishing works on the administration annex and entrance gate building.