St. Louis Post-Dispatch Printing Plant11700 Dunlap Industrial Drive, Maryland Heights (St. Louis County), Mo.Brinkmann Constructors completed a complex, fast-track expansion of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch printing plant in half the time originally projected, without disturbing the newspaper?s 24/7 printing operation. The project enabled the daily newspaper to consolidate printing operations to improve production and delivery efficiency.
Brinkmann carefully phased major components of the project to ensure printing presses kept pace with daily production demands. Brinkmann?s solutions allowed construction teams to upgrade the ceiling, insulation, lighting and fire suppression systems above four massive two-story presses; phase the rerouting of large conveyor belts above the presses to the new assembly and packaging area; and replace and relocate color ink tanks, precisely timing completion of the packaging room so insertion machinery could be installed quickly.
Project elements included a 96,000-square-foot newspaper packaging center; a 14,000-square-foot newsprint storage area to increase inventory capacity from a seven-day supply to a 28-day supply; new offices, restrooms, locker space and an employee break room; improved site traffic circulation for delivery trucks, including the addition of nine loading docks and more than 18,000 square feet of apron; and advanced climate control for the entire facility. The specialized HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system produces more than 1,000 tons of cooling capacity and provides 280,000 CFM (cubic feet per minute) of make-up air. Features: Recognition: Regional Excellence Award-Industrial Projects, 2003, St. Louis Construction News & Review Size: 110,000-square-foot addition plus alterations to original three-story, 97,000-square-foot facility Value: $17.0 million Architect: TR,i Architects, St. Louis, Mo. |
