SPRING 2018

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
ROBERT FOOTLIK THE PARTY PLAN MEETS THE REAL WORLD from page 44
Thinking Outside the Box
The better party planning solutions considered
alternatives to the constraints offered. For example the
restaurant had 4’ tables that supposedly held only 6
people, yet with a 12’-6” circumference 8 people will
fit comfortably for a short party. Renting 6’ diameter
tables with almost 19’ of circumference would seat 10
for a buffet or family style dinner. More people per table
means fewer tables and better utilization of space.
For my new Distributor friend his counting exercise
verified that a 12,000 to 14,000 square foot building,
30’ high would hold over 1,300 pallets of overstock and
more importantly this “box” could be located anywhere
convenient to his delivery and branch transfer truck
route. Materials delivered to the offsite box can be
transferred to the main location or branches at minimal
cost and this will help avoid the main constraint of the
limited existing site.
So now there is a new paradigm and a far simpler
problem for the Architect. All that is required is a 120’
wide (two bays of 60’-0”) x 100’ to 120’. Docks need
to be strategically located, a drive in door would be
nice and a simple heated and air conditioned office/
washroom with a window to see outside completes the
plan. Structurally only the front wall is essentially fixed
and every other wall can and will be removed/reused for
future expansion. This implies steel framing and a tall
pre-engineered structure with a roof slope of 1/48 as an
inexpensive and flexible solution.
Construction on bare ground without traffic and
operational constraints means that costs and time
losses will be minimal, making this far less expensive.
But things potentially get even better. Instead of building
a single user project on a tight land site this new building
would be highly marketable if external factors change.
Plus if there is a disaster at either location the proverbial
eggs will no longer be in only one basket.
Thinking Even Further Outside the Box
factors. A lunch served by staff requires less space than
a buffet, but a lot more money. A valid and practical
compromise is “family style” with bowls and platters
brought to each table (saves time) and passed around
by the guests. This can be a good solution for a casual
event.
In the Distributor context one should change hats
and consider things from a real estate investment
perspective. The new back up inventory warehouse
needs to be constructed on vacant land and in his
situation the only real requirement is that a highway
interchange should be nearby along with a potable
water source and electricity unless the facility will be
totally off the grid. In the US this provides a lot of
leeway for “location, location, location.” It also means
that land might be plentiful and cheap. Instead of
investing a large sum of money in the existing property
far more land can be purchased for far less money. For
our purposes let’s say 20 acres, subdivided into two 10
acre parcels.
The initial building would then be carefully situated
to maximize future expansion while taking full advantage
of sight lines, topography and other factors. Doing this
requires designing the ultimate structure of a real
Distribution Center (DC) along with offices, showroom,
customer service counter, etc. No matter how large the
DC will be the initial structure will only be a tiny fraction
of the final space and it might even serve an entirely
different function. In three dimensional terms with a
high ceiling adding column footings strategically under
the floor is a cheap way of turning a warehouse into two
story corporate office space.
Looking at the problem this way can also influence
other structural decisions. Using a flat roof might be
incrementally more expensive initially but offer greater
possibilities for a solar collection field in the future. And
a septic field location would at some point become a
landscape feature. Similarly a decorative retention pond
can also serve as a fire system reservoir. Building in
The party problem is also influenced by non-layout this thinking now can save a fortune at a later date.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 158