The first of its kind in North America, the Inland Concrete Pipe Plant is a new state of the art manufacturing facility that modernizes the concrete pipe output.
The pipe plant was designed from the inside out, based on the concrete pipe manufacturing process. The design team relied on the expertise of Inland in Calgary and equipment suppliers located in the United States, Germany, and Denmark to coordinate equipment requirements with facility design. Working with Inland and the suppliers, Group2 was able to ascertain the most economical structural building component strategy. The pipe plant in full production mode only requires a total of five people to operate. The new facility provides a naturally lit and safe working environment for the small staff and facilitates the required manufacturing process to keep up with the large demand for concrete piping.
The manufacturing process consists of new automated equipment for the production of concrete pipe, manholes and catch basins, a batch plant, steam generating kilns, and output equipment. The design also incorporated a mezzanine storage area for the header and pallet rings, cage production area, workshop area, viewing platforms, and quiet staff space.
A large 10' diameter concrete pipe marks the building's presence from the street and showcases the plant's products. Exterior walls consist of a steel insulated panel (SIP) system, attached to cold-formed horizontal 'C' wind girts that allowed for a quick erection time. Clerestory glazing was utilized throughout the facility made of high performance translucent insulated walls offering natural light transmission into the space while eliminating all concerns of glare around the equipment.
