How did work begin on the JYSK Logistics Base in the Bozhurishte Industrial Zone?
At full speed, naturally. We were invited by Mix Construction to join them on this project, which was unique in terms of scale, technology, function, building systems, and technical requirements, working alongside a large international team.
It all began during the tender meetings organized by JYSK to select a general contractor and design team under a design-build arrangement.
While meetings were being held with all companies invited to participate in the tender, we invested significant effort in gaining a detailed understanding of JYSK’s requirements, its operations, and the concept design through which the company presented its intentions. Drawing on our experience as designers, we proposed changes to some of the technical solutions and identified opportunities to optimize processes related to both construction and design.
Once Mix Construction was selected as the general contractor, the “real” work began on preparing the design documentation required for the building permit and technical design. Given the deadlines for the start of construction and the pace at which work had to proceed on site, the entire IPA team worked intensively to ensure that information was delivered to the site on time. To support continuous coordination among the client, designers, contractor, and international participants, we maintained a permanent presence on site, using office space within the temporary construction facilities.
We are proud that, through the use of BIM technologies, we were able to coordinate the delivery of a project of this scale. BIM technology and the processes associated with it, however, are a subject for another conversation.
What were the key challenges of the project?
The client’s requirements and established working practices were crucial, as were the short deadlines for bringing the facility into operation.
For us as designers, one of the major challenges was presenting and defending the technical solutions before Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection. As is well known, Bulgarian regulations and legislation do not specifically address a warehouse of this size and volume. The legislation does, however, provide a mechanism that allows buildings of this type to be constructed in Bulgaria.
Under Article 7 of Regulation No. Iz-1971 of October 29, 2009, concerning construction and technical rules and standards for fire safety, an agreed solution had to be reached between the investor and the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection regarding the methodology to be applied and the regulatory framework to be used in preparing the technical documentation for the high-bay warehouses. In this case, the German VDI 3564 standard was applied. All requirements of the standard were followed, together with its references to another document concerning the fire suppression system, VdS CEA 4001.
Working with the international team was another significant challenge. The work had to be structured and coordinated at every level while taking into account the differences between professional practices abroad and those in Bulgaria.
The short delivery schedule required the detailed design to be developed in parallel with construction on site. One of the most demanding aspects was that, at a certain stage, the number of construction activities and subcontractors became so large that providing updated information to the site became a daily task. During some periods, 12 architects were working on the project in collaboration with the engineering teams.
At the same time, IPA, as the lead coordinator across all levels of the design process, worked with both local participants and international partners:
- Voestalpine VAE GmbH, Austria, which supplied and installed the structure for the high-bay warehouses;
- WEB Elementbau GmbH, Germany, which supplied and installed the facade and roof of the high-bay warehouses;
- Pyronova, Slovenia, whose Romanian branch was responsible for the sprinkler system;
- Consoveyo, Portugal, which was responsible for the building technology, including the conveyor systems and high-speed handling equipment.
Three architects were primarily responsible for the project from beginning to end. The key role of the larger team behind us should not be overlooked. Without every member of that team, we would not have been able to complete the project successfully.
You mentioned the use of BIM technologies. Could you tell us more about BIM and how it was applied to this project?
At Ivo Petrov Architects, we had already maintained a dedicated BIM department for several years and were probably the first design practice in Bulgaria with such a structure. The BIM team played a key role in this project as well.
During the preparation of the design documentation, we relied extensively on international BIM practices. These formed the basis of a rigorous system that allowed the project to be structured and managed efficiently while also facilitating communication among all participants. For this reason, all specialists selected for the project team worked with BIM.
One of the most important points to understand about BIM is that it is not a specific piece of software, nor is it a machine. BIM is a concept. BIM is information. BIM is the digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building, facility, or system.
It is an integrated database and a shared source of information that each participant can use for different purposes. BIM manages information and enables the automated generation of different types of drawings and reports, design analyses, schedule simulations, facility management data, energy analyses, and more.
BIM supports consistent and high-quality project administration. It is also important to note that BIM allows all participants in the process to create and manage project documentation throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. Information about individual building elements is embedded directly within those elements.
Designers use BIM for complex analyses of building performance, structural systems, and building services. Contractors use BIM to manage project resources more efficiently. More accurate cost estimation, for example, can provide an advantage as early as the construction tender stage.
Investors can use BIM to carry out rapid financial analyses of their investment and reduce costs by minimizing conflicts, accelerating construction, and improving building maintenance. Owners can use BIM for more effective facility and asset management.
We are still in a period, however, when some participants in the process are more technologically advanced than others, and not everyone uses the latest tools. Our approach therefore had to remain highly flexible. We consistently found ways to integrate all participants and adapt versions, details, and different working practices.
The design team delivered dozens of boxes of drawings to the investor because, under Bulgarian law, projects are approved on paper. That may still be the case, as we are living through a transitional period. Internationally, however, there is already an established practice of submitting project documentation digitally. An interesting example is the United Kingdom, where the BIM model itself, with all disciplines integrated into it, can be submitted for approval.
Our main objective is to use the full potential of BIM technologies, particularly during building operation. An established BIM model contains information about every detail, from the structural system to an electrical switch.
It is an extremely detailed database that can be expanded with numerous additional functions. A good example is our enhanced virtual reality system, which allowed us to walk through the facility virtually and provide an impressive demonstration for the investors.
In addition to its scale as a logistics project and the height of its automated warehouses, the project is also unique because a detailed fire scenario was developed for the first time in Bulgaria. Could you tell us more about that?
A fire scenario is extremely important for projects of this scale and complexity, particularly when they involve sophisticated building systems and technologies. The people working in such facilities need to know exactly when and how to act in the event of an emergency.
In practice, the fire scenario is a manual describing the actions to be taken in different situations. Everyone working at the facility is familiar with it. The scenario was developed in a highly interactive format, making it easy to use.
In the future, fire scenarios of this kind will be developed increasingly often because technologies are becoming more sophisticated and buildings more complex.
What would you like to add in closing?
Architects increasingly need to be present on site and maintain a clear understanding of how a project is being implemented, as well as the issues that arise during construction. They also need the knowledge and skills to respond appropriately throughout the entire process.
We should not forget that projects of this scale can only be delivered by large teams of well-prepared professionals. Particularly after completing this project, we at IPA once again demonstrated that we can provide clients with reliable support and confidence through systematic solutions at a large scale.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Investment: EUR 100 million
Investor: JYSK
Technical and detailed design: IPA
Lead members of the design team: Tsvetan Petrov, Dimitar Dimitrov, Slav Dinev, Dimitar Stoev
Contractor: Mix Construction
Site area: 300 decares
Building footprint, Phase 1: 86,000 sq. m
Gross floor area, Phase 1: 96,000 sq. m
High-bay warehouses, Phase 1: 2 units x 10,000 sq. m, with a total of 122,000 pallet positions
High-bay warehouses, Phase 2: 3 units
The full article was originally published in Gradat magazine:
https://gradat.bg/sgradi/logistichnata-baza-na-jysk-v-industrialna-zona-bozhurishche-unikalen-za-blgariya-proekt
