Purpose
Following the decision of The Boeing Company to consolidate all manufacturing and final assembly of the popular 787 Dreamliner aircraft in North Charleston, the need has arisen for “aerospace quality”, flexible, industrial-grade, concrete tilt-wall buildings to support engineering and sub-assembly manufacturing operations.
Location:
Palmetto Commerce Park – Charleston County’s Most Active Currently, all final assembly operations for the 787 Dreamliner program are conducted on the Boeing Company campus of the CHS International Airport. The CHS campus has current capacity to produce seven (7) total Dreamliners per month. Given the worldwide demand for Dreamliners, Boeing is likely to increase final assembly beyond 7 per month, perhaps to pre-Covid levels of 14 per month, (6 from CHS and 8 from Everett, WA). Additional manufacturing capacity will be needed here in Charleston to exceed seven (7) Dreamliners per month. To date, all ancillary supplier and support operations for Boeing have been located within Charleston County’s Palmetto Commerce Park, located in North Charleston and 10 miles north of the 787 final assembly campus. Boeing is required by their State and County incentive agreements to locate supplier and support operations within Charleston County. For this reason, Boeing refers to this industrial park as their “northern campus”. The Woodstock Flex site will be located along the Palmetto Commerce Parkway in close proximity to Boeing’s northern campus.
Competitive Advantage
The Woodstock Flex buildings will target aerospace and automotive support companies which will directly benefit from close proximity to Boeing’s operations. These buildings will be competitively priced with lease rate less than traditional office buildings, offering these specialized companies with open floor plan layouts and grade-level access, ideal for engineering www.WoodstockFlex.com and support activities. While aerospace companies will be the primary target, the project will appeal to start-ups and engineering teams focused on emerging technologies, including clean energy, automotive and support to light manufacturing. The close proximity of the Woodstock Flex site to the Mercedes Benz Vans manufacturing campus will also provide automotive suppliers with a “Class A” product option for their specialized requirements
Composition
The Woodstock Flex Project will consist of four distinct buildings arrayed in line with each other and fronting the newly constructed Woodstock Station Road. The four Flex buildings, Buildings 40, 30, 20 and 10, shall each measure 11,960 SF. Thus, the total buildable area of the Woodstock Flex Project shall be 47,840 SF. The complex shall be organized as a land condominium regime with an estimated common area load factor of under 15%. Each of the Woodstock Flex buildings can be subdivided into two equal bays. Each of the buildings shall be 65 feet deep, owing to the uniquely narrow site configuration. Automobile parking for employees and visitors shall be arranged to the front of each of the four buildings. A 25-feet wide driveway shall encompass the entire project providing for grade-level access to each building via four rollup 12’ x 12’ wide garage doors per building. Unloading of dock-high materials can be accomplished at the nearby Averitt Express truck trans-loading facility under special agreement. The landscaping plan shall provide screening of the auto parking areas in front of the four buildings.
Building Interiors
Each building shall offer sixteen (16’) feet clear height and LED lighting throughout. During initial construction, ADA-compliant restrooms shall be added near the center of each building for both office and operational employees. If needed, a demising wall could be constructed, thus dividing the building into two equal bays.
Building Exteriors
Each of the Woodstock Flex buildings will be constructed of concrete tilt-wall panels on all four sides. The front elevation of each building will feature a unique “skyward taper” on its far left side, simulating the outward appearance of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In addition to the two sets of double glass entry doors, each building shall feature window cut-outs that closely resemble the distinctive “soft-cornered” shape of the Dreamliner windows. Each building shall be painted aviation chalk white and emblazoned with a dramatic sky-blue striping. Above the two entry doors, a fabricated winglet structure will be affixed as a weather shield, further enhancing the aerospace-themed project. In a nod to Boeing’s roots and important legacy during WWII, each building will feature a bold numbering in Liberator font further identifying with its aviation theme.
Woodstock Flex Buildings:
Small Scale, Large Impact
The above aerial photo illustrates the relatively small size of each 12,000 SF Woodstock Flex building. When considered in perspective of the much larger industrial warehouses found throughout the Ingleside and Palmetto Commerce sub-markets, these diminutive buildings fill a niche demand for smaller support and service operations seeking proximity to the larger plants nearby. The Woodstock Flex project will meet the needs of suppliers to the larger aerospace and automotive industries. No other similarly sized buildings are nearby, neither existing nor planned. The Woodstock Flex buildings represent the “Highest and Best” use for this uniquely located site. By way of comparison, the nearest buildings to Woodstock Flex are: Atlas: two (2) buildings, each: 67,500 SF Hardy World Triad spec: 47,500 SF Tighitco (Boeing supplier): 110,000 SF Mercedes Benz Vans (Finishing): 68,000 SF