Greenfield Electric Vehicle
Manufacturing Facility

A well-known electric vehicle manufacturer sought to build a new greenfield facility to produce compact sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks. Based on previous successes with this client, SSOE was selected as the structural Engineer of Record (EOR) for this project. We provided full structural engineering and design, in addition to fire protection code review and permitting for the 500,000 SF multi-level general assembly shop and paint shop areas of the new facility.

Our staff integrated with the client’s engineers and other consultants early in the project. The team executed the project using an owner-directed construction approach, involving a hybrid EPC delivery method with a hyper fast-track schedule. The schedule required the seamless hand-off of steel detailing packages among design, procurement, and construction teams. To maintain a constant and organized workflow, SSOE leveraged native Revit functions to code and communicate all activities. Our practice ensured each group was continually aware of what was being released to them, resulting in little to no rework, as we reviewed and released each coded piece for the next step in real-time. Proven effective, our method was shared with other design consultants and the client’s structural modeling team as a best practice.

In addition to the efficiencies gained through Revit tools, SSOE also committed to a 48-hour turnaround time on shop drawing reviews to meet the project schedule. This proved challenging, as some steel submittals consisted of more than 200 pages with multiple submittals per week. To meet this goal, we utilized SDS/2 (Structural Detailing Steel) software to enable 3D model-based shop drawing reviews. Leveraging the model gave the project team and stakeholders the ability to closely analyze the design, streamlining the review process.

This project’s intricate delivery approach and expedited schedule required innovation and agility in its execution. Our ability to drive efficiency through the use of technology and seamless collaboration with the project team was key to its successful delivery. Based on SSOE’s continued performance with this client, our structural team was selected to design the facility’s warehouse, while our architectural team was selected to design the cathode building.