Project Data:

Completion Date:     6/1/2022

Square Footage:      166500

Building Use:           Vehicle Distribution Center

Project Description:

Have you ever thought about the journey your car takes from the factory to the sales lot, and into your driveway? Toyota Logistical Services plays a huge role in this long journey as it imports 200,000+ vehicles through the Port of Long Beach every single year to meet customer demand in western North America. This facility is the largest of its kind on the west coast of the Americas. Toyota’s plan from inception was to make this facility first in class, exemplifying their Kaizen (always improving) culture. Goals included consolidation, modernization, and a more efficient and sustainable TLS facility for the future. Key components are reducing land lease area, integrating all existing facility functions into one processing building, incorporating sustainability strategies and new technologies to reduce carbon footprint and energy consumption. The resulting facility is the first port facility of its kind, and Toyota’s first facility to use 100% renewable energy.

This project has set a new sustainability standard in keeping with Toyota’s Global Environmental Challenge.to achieve net zero energy by 2050. Registered with the certification goal of LEED Gold, a significant piece was the commissioning of a 2.3 Mega Watt Tri-Gen Fuel Cell power plant. The project is a groundbreaking development in which directed biogas is used as the fuel cell’s feedstock, providing the entire campus with 100% emissions-free, renewable electricity, and creating one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world. After the fuel cell creates electricity, the byproducts are waste heat, water (used in the operation of the carwash) and high-quality hydrogen gas. The plant creates enough green hydrogen to fuel 240 fuel cell passenger vehicles per day, or up to 12 class A1 hydrogen powered transport trucks per day. It also creates enough renewable energy to power 100% of the on-site loads and leaves nearly 1.5 MW of power to be sold back to the grid…continuously. Story boards located in the main corridor’s sustainability gallery highlight Toyota’s sustainability aspirations and achievements as they pursue the 2050 challenge.

The overall aesthetic relied heavily on the use of Toyota’s iconic red color both in the signage and as applied on reflective metal surface reminiscent of an automotive body material contrasted by vertical concrete monoliths, loosely separating the outdoor employee area from the main pedestrian access. Maximizing an efficient work force flow through the facility dictated the major interior circulation pathways, efficiently interconnecting offices, employee amenities and product flow through.

To accommodate the processing of 200,000 annual imports the island complex of 3 structures surrounded by parking is planned to maximize efficiency of product movement. Challenges included a leased site located on reclaimed port land requiring 542 driven piles, 70 ft deep, which underpin a 12” thick, 166,500sf concrete slab, multiple competing jurisdictions in authority, a maze of underground oil & utility lines, processing 3,000 yards of contaminated earth for re-use and planning for a future undefined front street re-alignment.

Framework for Design Excellence

This is Toyota’s first port vehicle processing facility in the world powered by onsite generated, 100% renewable electricity. Toyota views the new TLS Long Beach facility as a new benchmark for port facilities globally. The overall aesthetic relied heavily on the use of Toyota’s iconic red to reflect branding both in the signage and on reflective metal surface, reminiscent of an automotive body material, contrasted by vertical concrete monoliths visually separating the outdoor employee area from the main entrance. Internal efficiency is maximized throughout the facility via well-defined major interior circulation pathways, efficiently interconnecting offices, employee amenities and vehicle processing areas. Materials and accessories flow seamlessly from the warehouse / conveyor area to be installed on customer vehicles in the production area, before moving to Point of Rest areas prior to transportation to Toyota dealers in the Western United States.

Design For Integration
Toyota’s vision was to consolidate port operations into single building to increase operational efficiency. Processing approximately 180,000 vehicles per year, the TLS building is an island surrounded by a sea of new vehicles staged for delivery. Meeting Toyota’s Environmental Challenge 2050 and Carbon Neutrality by 2035 for facilities were primary goals for the design. The project is planned for zero carbon emission operations.

Design for Equitable Communities
The entire facility is powered by a fuel cell that generates hydrogen to be used to fuel Class 8 heavy-duty Fuel Cell Electric Trucks (FCET), thereby improving air quality with the disadvantaged communities near the port through the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles Clean Air Plan.

With the building located in a sea of parked vehicles, the white, high albedo roofing reflects solar heat and radiance away from the building and site, reducing the heat island effect.

Design for Ecosystems
The fuel cell powering the site and providing hydrogen to refuel vehicles uses biogas renewable natural gas as a fuel source. The biogas is derived from organic food waste, a negative carbon intensity fuel source.

Eco-friendly processes and purchasing of products and supplies has been implemented for cleaning products. The integrated pest management has been implemented using similar eco-friendly processes, and purchasing of products and supplies to reduce the root causes of pest problems.

The site is located on reclaimed port land, required processing over 3,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and an extensive foundation system requiring nearly 750 piles.

Design for Water
Landscape design reduced potable water use by 84%. Once plants are established the permanent irrigation system will not be used, eliminating potable water use for irrigation.

The on-site fuel cell plant produces over 520,000 gallons of byproduct water per year, enough to eliminate potable water uses for sewage conveyance for the high efficiency flush fixtures. In addition, the byproduct water is also used for the carwash to further reduce the municipal potable water consumption. Combined with the efficient car wash system design process water use reduced by 58.69%. The overall reliance on municipal potable water is reduced by 40.14%!

Design for Economy
Building configuration was driven by locating the vehicle production area and warehouse around the central core housing administration and employee areas. Managers have visual access to both the Production and Warehouse areas.

Concrete was chosen as the exterior wall construction material for its ability to weather the harbor climate, provide a durable / impact resistant interior finish, and structural integrity.

Extensive use of daylighting throughout the secure facility is achieved using skylights and Solatubes.

Design for Energy
Energy-efficient HVAC, lighting, and other systems reduce the baseline energy use and coupled with the fuel cell creates an energy use reduction of 45.5%.

NCI renewable natural gas powers the fuel cell to efficiently produce zero emission renewable electricity. The onsite 2.3 MW fuel cell plant provides 100% of the TLS electrical needs and sends approximately 1.8 MW to the SCE grid.

NCI derived natural gas is being purchased for the current roof top HVAC units. Once these units reach their end of life, they are intended to be replaced by all electric units.

Design for Well-being
The indoor air quality for Toyota employees, and other users, is achieved using low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring systems, and composite woods used within the building envelope.

As noted previously, skylights and Solatubes provide for daylighting throughout the facility.

Design for Resources
Materials for construction were considered for their recycled content and where they were extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured. Building materials utilized on-site constitute postconsumer and pre-consumer recycled content, for over 26% recycled content percentage of value. Over 13%, by value, were regional materials extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured within 500 miles of the site.

During construction, the contractor diverted Nearly 90% of construction waste from local landfills.

As part of Toyota’s goal that their facilities and processes support a recycling-based society, TLS recyclables are source separated and collected at the loading dock.

Design for Change
Roof-top HVAC units are intended to be replaced with all electric units at the end of their useful life, creating an “all electric” facility in keeping with Toyota’s Global Environmental Challenge 2050.

The fuel cell plant transforms food waste generated NCI natural gas into clean, negative carbon, renewable electricity, and hydrogen fuel. The fuel cell plant produces 100% of the TLS power continuously, making the TLS less likely to be affected by a loss of grid power.

The electricity and hydrogen byproduct of the fuel cell plant charges the imported zero-emissions electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Design for Discovery
Toyota deployed an award-winning green education program using interactive 3-D browser-based technology to reach a global audience. This tool was developed due to visitor restrictions on site set by the Transportation Security Administration restrictions at international port of entry.

For those using the building, Interior graphics to tell story to employees of the TLS related to Toyota’s 2050 Challenge, biodiversity, materials, water, and carbon.

Firm Name:              Lionakis

Completion Date:     6/1/2022

Square Footage:      166500

Building Use:           Vehicle Distribution Center

Location:                 Long Beach, CA

Design Architect:

Associate Architect or Firm:

Landscape Architect:
Landscape Architect – Wilson Associates

Owner / Developer:
Port of Long Beach - Land Owner
Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. - Developer

Engineer:
Structural Engineer – KPFF
Civil Engineer – DCI Engineers
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineer – P2S

General Contractor:
Oltmans Construction Co.

Consultant:
Construction Manager – R.A. Vezzuto
LEED Consultant – ASAP
Fuel Island Designer – Tait & Associates
Hazardous Materials Consulting – tk1sc

Photographer:
Photographer: Matthew Fukushima, Fuskushima Photography
Oltmans Construction Co. – Drone shots