Ware Malcomb provided architectural and interior design services for FreezPak’s new 140,000-square-foot cold storage facility at 1029 Newark Ave. in Elizabeth, which was developed by Elberon Development Group and Fidelco Realty Group. — Images courtesy: Ware Malcomb
By Joshua Burd
A joint venture has completed construction on a new 140,000-square-foot cold storage facility on the border of Newark and Elizabeth, the project’s design team announced Tuesday.
In a news release, Ware Malcomb said the project at 1029 Newark Ave. has opened its doors with features such as a freezer space with 66-foot clear ceiling heights, a central plant refrigeration system and 18 docks that allow for 30,000 pallet positions. The FreezPak facility also includes automated retrieval and racking systems, as well as an 80-foot-high clear span cold dock and a hydrogen fueling system for the material handling equipment.
Ware Malcomb designed the project on behalf of the development team, which included Elberon Development Group and Fidelco Realty Group, with Industrial Building Group as its general contractor.
“With this new facility, the warehouse industry expands outside of the port area, and we had the opportunity to revitalize a strategically located industrial site,” said Edward Mayer II, principal, architecture, for Ware Malcomb. “We were proud to partner with FreezPak, Elberon Development, Industrial Building Group and the whole team to bring this project to fruition.”
The design firm on Tuesday noted that the project, which recently won a NAIOP New Jersey Deal of the Year award, straddles both Newark and Elizabeth. The facility is FreezPak’s fifth in New Jersey, bringing new jobs and much-needed cold storage space to the state’s northern port region.
The Newark Avenue building also has plug-ins at all dock positions and trailer parking stalls in order to prevent idling while running refrigerated trucks, the news release said. Ware Malcomb also designed the project to be solar-ready, with solar installation planned for post-construction.
It’s now providing architectural design services on multiple FreezPak projects, including locations in Miami and Woodbridge.
“A priority of the design was to maximize building clear height to 66 feet,” said Kate Lyle, a director with Ware Malcomb’s industrial cold and food team. “Since the overall building height was limited to 75 feet, close coordination with the structural and civil engineers was necessary to achieve the design goals.”
