What an industrial warehouse project actually involves
A warehouse is not a shell. What drives the cost and the performance of the asset sits below the slab and above the structure — and that is where a badly estimated job sends the bill after handover.
- SPT soil investigation, earthworks and compaction with laboratory control
- Deep or shallow foundations as the geotechnical report dictates: continuous flight auger piles, bored piles or footings
- Superstructure in precast concrete, structural steel or a hybrid system
- Roofing in thermoacoustic or sandwich panel, with gutters and rainwater capture sized to the catchment
- Envelope in masonry, precast concrete panel or metal cladding
- High-performance industrial slab: fibre-reinforced concrete, sawn joints and polished finish
- Electrical and hydraulic services, lightning protection and compressed air
- Fire detection and suppression through to the AVCB fire department certificate
- Loading docks, dock levellers, truck yard and site works
Precast concrete or structural steel?
There is no single answer — there is the answer your site and your schedule give. Precast concrete usually wins on fire resistance, maintenance and cost per square metre at conventional spans. Structural steel wins on very long clear spans, on sites with access restrictions for heavy elements, and when erection time is the critical factor. On a good share of the projects we build the answer ends up hybrid: precast columns with a steel roof. That decision comes out of the feasibility study, before the first real money is spent.
Building while your operation keeps running
Expanding a distribution centre without stopping despatch, or building a new module beside a plant in production, is a site logistics problem before it is an engineering problem. Physical isolation of the work front, a dedicated access road, lifting windows outside peak operating hours and safety integration with the client's own team are part of the plan from the proposal onwards — not adjustments negotiated after the works have already got in the way.
What you receive
- Coordinated detailed design and technical specification
- Cost-loaded schedule by stage, with monthly measurement
- Site diary and weekly photographic report
- Concrete testing records and industrial slab acceptance tests
- As-built drawings, owner's manual and maintenance plan
- AVCB fire certificate, occupancy permit and warranty certificate
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to build an industrial warehouse per square metre?
Cost per square metre varies with soil conditions, clear span, clear height, slab loading and finish level. A standard logistics warehouse and a manufacturing plant with an overhead crane cost very different amounts for the same floor area. That is why we do not quote from a price list: we survey the site and issue an open-book estimate itemised by work package, so you can compare proposals line by line rather than only the bottom line.
How long does a warehouse take to build?
The schedule depends mainly on the foundations and the permitting, not on the floor area. Poor soil or significant level differences change the earthworks and the foundations, which are the most schedule-sensitive stages. Municipal, environmental and fire department approvals run in parallel with construction when properly planned — and become delay when left until later. We present the full cost-loaded schedule with the proposal.
Does Construtorre handle the licences and approvals?
Yes. Statutory design, municipal approval, environmental licensing with the state agency (CETESB in São Paulo), fire protection design and issue of the AVCB certificate are services we deliver, including for works we did not build. See our Design and Permitting page.
Will you take over a project another contractor started?
We will, after a technical survey establishing what was built, what complies with the design and what needs remediation. That survey becomes a report with its own scope and price — nobody takes on liability for another party's work without first knowing what is underneath.
Which regions do you build in?
We build throughout Brazil. Head office is in São Paulo and we have projects delivered in Guarulhos, Cajamar, Campinas and the surrounding region, but the operating model is our own crews deployed to the site, wherever it is — including states where the client's operation, not our location, determines where the work happens.
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