Modern commercial cold storage facilities are much more than dry warehouses with freezers. To best meet the specific needs of food, floral, and pharmaceutical suppliers, special cold storage insulation strategies must be integrated into the overall thermal envelope design. Today, FCL Builders will discuss many of these considerations.
As the nation’s food supply chain continues to evolve, placing increased emphasis on fresh and frozen foods and prepared meals, suppliers are busy modernizing cold storage infrastructure coast to coast. New construction and facility upgrades include technology integration for higher thermal performance and energy efficiency. Beyond food storage and processing, floral and pharmaceutical delivery services are increasing the overall demand for cold storage inventory. Each of these facilities requires unique insulation strategies to deliver the greatest ROI to property developers and tenants.
This basic structure traditionally costs more than a tilt wall or precast concrete structure used in dry storage, and construction needs to be sequenced over a longer period. For cold storage, this style is typically less expensive than the other two options presented below; it combines the building envelope with the thermal and vapor envelopes. To prevent coolant leaks, frost, or other undesirable thermal envelope breaks, special attention must be paid to the location of the girders, columns, and sag rods on the exterior of the building to coordinate locations and avoid conflicts with openings or other equipment in the building.
This is a good option to retrofit existing buildings, but it is occasionally used in new construction as well. This structure is typically made of tilt-up or precast concrete, with an interior cold “box” constructed of Insulated Metal Panel (IMP) walls and ceilings. The exterior concrete tilt-up or precast envelope allows for greater façade design flexibility than the steel-framed envelope.
This utilizes exterior concrete walls with IMP liners but incorporates over-deck insulation in lieu of ceilings. This can reduce building costs by allowing a greater range of façade options than the steel-framed big white box. While columns no longer penetrate the ceilings, joists do penetrate the IMP walls at the ledger.
The success of a commercial cold storage facility depends on its ability to maintain a constant temperature inside, no matter what the temperature and humidity differential is outside. In warmer climates where summer temperatures can get into triple digits and roof temperatures can be even higher, proper insulation plays a major role in maintaining the critical thermal envelope within the structure. Even in most winter climates, the temperatures inside a commercial freezer facility will be below the frigid outside temps.
Anticipating extreme temperature differences, commercial cold storage designers will spec the highest possible R-rated materials. R-rating denotes heat resistance, with the higher end products ranging between R-40 and R-60.
When designing and building a cold storage facility, the builder cannot assume that the purchase and installation of high-performance insulated panels will deliver the desired R-value throughout the structure. Studs and fasten points are among the many areas along a commercial cold storage structure where heat or cold-treated air can transfer out of the building by finding small escape routes. Products like thermally broken fasteners, in addition to proper sealing and vapor barrier installation, can dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, air leakage. Also, entry points to freezers and coolers must be designed and outfitted to minimize heat loss as employees move product in and out.
In addition to insulated panels, the vapor barrier plays a major role in thermal insulation. In a cold storage environment, warm, humid air is drawn toward cold surfaces. If moisture reaches the dew point within the wall assembly, it condenses, freezes into ice, and knocks down the insulation’s intended R-value. Popular vapor barrier materials include sheet polyethylene, spray foam insulation, foil-faced composites, or high-density polyethylene. These products must be installed to form a continuous, near-perfect seal along the warm side of the insulation.
Air barriers and vapor barriers work in tandem to protect the integrity of the cold storage thermal envelope. Air barriers such as rigid boards, spray foam, or other membranes applied to the warm side of insulation help keep treated cool air within the cold storage unit, while keeping warmer outside air out. Vapor barrier sheets or wraps keep warm air from condensing and freezing at the point of contact with the cold storage shell.
Proper Insulation selection improves the operational efficiency of the commercial cold storage facility, lowering monthly energy costs, which over the lifespan of the facility will dramatically affect bottom lines and investment returns. It also protects the integrity of the products that the facility was designed to inventory and distribute. Product losses can have a devastating impact on businesses. An added benefit is that by reducing moisture buildup and the presence of ice, mold, and mildew, worker safety is dramatically improved.
Maintaining the structural integrity of a cold storage facility is a goal from the earliest plans, including site selection and design, all the way through site operation and maintenance. Should the thermal envelope fail, the slab upon which the facility sits can crack, shift, or sink. Repairs for such events are monumental and can take a facility offline for an extended period, causing a major disruption to revenue flow and supply chain commitments. Insulation plays a key role in a comprehensive slab protection strategy, as rigid insulation panels around the perimeter in conjunction with Glycol underfloor heating can prevent the ground underneath the slab from freezing, and in turn, cracking or lifting the slab.
General contractors will often say they can build just about everything according to the blueprint. Cold storage construction comes with a unique set of variables and challenges that only an experienced cold storage builder can anticipate, plan for, and overcome by leveraging years of knowledge, strong preliminary design, understanding regional climate implications, and collaboration with trusted trade partners.
FCL has been building leading-edge cold storage facilities for most of our 50 years in business. National cold storage project leaders team with local project managers who are well-versed in local codes and ordinances and have trusted relationships with municipalities and specialty subcontractors. We know the intricacies of supply chain logistics to best ensure that building materials arrive on time and are sourced at the best possible prices. FCL can be a trusted consultant from the earliest phases onward to ensure your project delivers the best possible return on investment.