Multi-Levels

A leader in multistorey commercial buildings

As a general contractor in commercial real estate, GSE is a pioneer in the design & build of next-gen multistorey warehouses.

The construction of a multistorey logistics platform involves specific technical challenges. It must enable the effective synchronization of the transportation and movement of people and goods, as well as provide storage space that is adapted to the nature of the items.

Multistorey warehouses have at least one upper floor served by its truck yard. Usually, they also have offices and sometimes production areas. Three main types of multistorey warehouses exist: 100% logistics warehouses, buildings integrating a process (automated warehouse) and multi-use facilities (including a factory, a logistics platform and offices).

Defining the multistorey warehouse

Multistorey warehouses are, as the name suggests, warehouses with more than one floor, which increases the usable floor space per square metre of land.

Access to the upper floors can be obtained in two ways: via a ramp or a cargo lift.

Higher land utilisation rates are especially significant in crowded cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo or Seoul. Multistorey warehouses are therefore more common in Asia than in the US, where land is more readily available.

In Europe, however, another trend is bolstering the multistorey market: regulations are more and more restrictive regarding greenfield operations, in order to protect natural habitats and biodiversity by restricting soil sealing and promoting sustainable land use. Indeed, multistorey warehouses are one of the solutions to the issue of the urban sprawl.

A benchmark project in Gennevilliers

Multistorey warehouses are an increasingly familiar sight. In the Paris suburb of Gennevilliers, SEGRO Group company Vailog took possession of a ramped warehouse called Paris Air 2, which was immediately leased out. One of the tenants is IKEA. The Port of Gennevilliers is a strategic location for retailers: besides using road transport, they can ship merchandise to destinations in the Greater Paris area by river freight on the Seine.

The shortage of available commercial space

Considering the demands on retailers and logistics providers to deliver promptly to their customers, urban locations are critical for last-mile logistics. Bringing products to hubs close to customers reduces transport costs and speeds up delivery to their final destinations.
The issue is the lack of available land that is both well-located and suitable for a logistics hub. Furthermore, urban land sells at a premium and is likely to compete with housing or retail operations.

Urban construction in the age of e-commerce

The growing expectation of same-day deliveries has created the need for warehouses, retailers, and logistics players to be located close to consumers. It’s probably the only way to effectively reduce transportation costs while continuing to cut delivery times.
GSE developed a mechanised logistics platform for the global e-commerce leader. This is our largest logistics building in France: 186,000m² on four levels

Warehouses go green

One of our main commitments is to make each multistorey warehouse as eco-friendly as possible. Our sustainability strategy focuses on four areas:

Reduced carbon footprint: our designs seek to optimise resources, reuse or recycle materials, and prefer greener options (e.g. low-carbon concrete for paving)
Energy efficiency: we suggest solutions such as advanced monitoring & management of consumption, state-of-the-art insulation, the production of solar energy, etc.
Biodiversity: we assess the local ecosystem and design outdoor spaces that support biodiversity; we offer permeable paving to reduce soil sealing, etc.
User wellbeing: a pleasant workplace implies thoughtfully designed lighting, acoustics, thermic conditions and air quality, as well as the installation of bicycle shelters and electrical vehicle charging stations, for instance.

Logistic