“Trophy” is not a word typically associated with industrial buildings. Nor does it fit with the presumed aesthetic of a concrete box with some clerestory glass, a professional office facade in one or two corners, endless rows of loading docks, and fields of parking lots and truck courts. The standard design solution is to simply hide these buildings from view with heavy landscaping and berms.
However, when circumstances are right — which involves an alignment of market strength, site location, economics and community impact — there is a growing call for change. Within this shifting landscape, it is incumbent on developers to rethink the way industrial projects are designed and built.