Stellar, a fully integrated design-build firm, completed a $22 million project for premium poultry processor Bell & Evans in Fredericksburg, Pa. Unlike traditional hatcheries that can deprive hatchlings of light, food and water for up to three days, the Bell & Evans facility is designed to provide those basic needs to chicks immediately after hatching. The 120,000 ft² chicken hatchery started up in August and reportedly is the first of its kind in the United States.

Stellar collaborated with Dutch manufacturer HatchTech, which supplied all of the hatchery technology, to properly design the building shell and facility layout to accommodate the specialty equipment.

This is not Stellar’s first project for Bell & Evans. The design-build firm built a packaging, storage and frozen processing facility for Bell & Evans last year.