A 274,000 ft² facility that includes cold storage, ripening, processing and packaging space has earned the Design-Build Done Right award for its design-build firm.

A M King won 2022 Best Project Award in the industrial process/manufacturing category from the Design-Build Institute of America’s Southeast Region for its work on a facility in Laredo, Texas, for Mission Produce Inc. A M King’s full-site consultancy services for the project included an analysis of the property from current and future expansion perspectives. In addition, A M King managed the process of acquiring the site while meeting zoning and municipal ordinances specific to site development of greenfield land in the City of Laredo.

A M King’s scope of work included the design and construction of 10 ripening rooms with capacity for 36 rooms; 2,600 pallets for fruit ripening; a dedicated mango room; 40 docks; coolers; forced air cooler; dry goods storage; a bagging and production area; quality control; administrative offices, security and dispatch; Border Patrol office; and USDA office. A 12,000 ft² second-floor mezzanine houses conference rooms, office areas and collaborative space.

Like any food facility, sanitary design measures were paramount. Some of the design features A M King integrated addressed these measures, including floor drains for room washing and washable surfaces (concrete floor, insulated metal panel walls); structural steel tubes in lieu of W beams (avoiding surfaces for dust collecting); and installation of sinks in the packaging areas. In addition, sustainability processes such as rainwater management, heat island reduction, daylighting and focus on energy performance were implemented.

The facility is located in Laredo’s Pinnacle Industry Center on 32.6 acres adjacent to the Rio Grande River and the U.S.-Mexico border.

DBIA Southeast recognizes exemplary applications of design-build projects achieving best-value while meeting design and construction quality, cost and schedule goals. The awards presentation took place on April 26 at the 22^nd Annual Awards Banquet during the DBIA Southeast Regional Summit held this year at the Kiawah Island Resort near Charleston, SC. Key members of the A M King project team were on hand to accept the award.