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Clarebout Continues Building on Former Mydibel/Gramybel Site in Mouscron

Following the acquisition of Mydibel in late 2022, Clarebout Potatoes began making adaptations to the Mydibel/Gramybel site in Mouscron in 2023. This extensive construction project, which involves many sub-aspects, brings into play almost the entire expertise of skald engineering in industrial projects. Thanks to the client's quick decision-making and strong reliance on the knowledge of their construction partners, the project was completed in record time. 

Clarebout Potatoes started its own potato processing plant in Nieuwkerke (Heuvelland) in 1988, and later expanded its production facilities with an additional site in Waasten (Hainaut). The integration of Mydibel from 2023 brought new opportunities. At the site on Schindlerlaan in Mouscron, the existing buildings could be adapted and there was space to expand.

 

 

High Bay, Height Difference and Embankment

The most visible change on the site was the construction of a high bay freezer warehouse, next to the railway line. The building stands at 40 meters high and provides space for a total of 56,000 pallets across 12 levels. The challenges that come with high-rise structures combined with freezing conditions were already addressed in several previous projects. However, this project added an extra layer of complexity for two reasons. Firstly, a connecting building in precast concrete was erected between the existing production buildings and the new high bay warehouse. But there is a 4-meter height difference between the two parts of the site. To make the project feasible, numerous retaining walls and sheet piling had to be installed. Because the warehouse was built first, a secant pile wall had to be placed for the foundation of the connecting building, anchored under the warehouse. This required careful consideration of the positions of the warehouse's own foundation piles.

 

 

The second challenge was the 10-meter-high earth embankment that needed to be constructed between the warehouse and the railway to shield the neighborhood from potential disturbances. Normally, such an embankment is built in phases, allowing the earth mass to gradually settle. However, due to a lack of time, the embankment was founded with gravel cores. Ensuring that the embankment remains in place is, of course, crucial for the stability of the adjacent railway bed.

 

Water Treatment and Pipe Racks

A water treatment plant was constructed on the site with various large concrete tanks and a building made from concrete walls poured on-site. Additionally, the numerous retaining walls that were built were also cast on site. For all these structures, we naturally designed the foundations as well.

Between the water treatment plant and the existing buildings, several supply and discharge pipelines were laid. For this, elevated pipe racks needed to be constructed, for which we designed the steel structures. Some of the piping runs over the former Gramybel building. We analyzed the load-bearing capacity of the roof and concluded that part of the pipe rack could rest on the existing structure, but part could not. Therefore, we provided additional structures on columns that support across the building's roof, resting on micro-pile foundations.

 

 

Post-tensioned Warehouse Floor

On one of the short sides of the high bay warehouse, a lower volume was constructed. At ground level, loading and unloading docks for trucks are provided. Inside, forklift trucks drive back and forth with goods being unloaded or loaded. To allow for smooth circulation, the spans are large, requiring fewer columns. However, on the upper floor, there is an automated warehouse with 4 levels of pallet storage on racks. The floor slab of this level must be able to bear very heavy loads with strict tolerances for displacement. Therefore, we designed a 65 cm thick slab that was post-tensioned.

 

Designing Together

This project did not start with a predefined master plan but evolved as the work progressed. The various components of the project were developed through close collaboration among all construction partners. In essence, we designed together, with both the client, the architect, the contractor, and us as the structural designers offering proposals and having significant input. With a small group of people empowered to make immediate decisions, progress could be made quickly.

 

 

In Summary

This project seems like a (large part of the) 'menu' from which clients can choose from Skald Engineering's expertise for their various projects. What we've utilized from that over the past year and a half at the former Mydibel/Gramybel site includes:

  • foundations for high bay freezer warehouses
  • foundations for tanks
  • steel structures (pipe racks, roof structures, mezzanines, ...)
  • cast-in-place concrete walls (up to 50 cm thick here) and hollow core retaining walls
  • precast concrete structures
  • cast-in-place mezzanine floors (in existing buildings) on micropiles
  • roof modifications (creating openings + designing structures to carry additional services)
  • post-tensioned concrete floor

 

Building Partners: