Cold storage punishes shortcuts in the slab. A freezer floor that was poured without under-slab heat can lift by inches over a few seasons, cracking the floor and pulling racking out of line. A cooler with a leaky vapor barrier collects ice in the insulation and loses efficiency every year. We build refrigerated and frozen buildings where those details are planned in from the start.
Our work covers new cold storage buildings, from small coolers attached to a packing shed to full distribution-scale freezer warehouses. We handle the earthwork, foundations, under-slab systems, structure, insulated envelope, roof and docks, and we coordinate with the refrigeration contractor who installs the plant. The refrigeration design belongs to the engineer, but the building must be built to support it.
The region has the demand. Produce grown in the Mesilla Valley and Hatch, protein and food moving through the border, and medical distribution all need cold space in southern New Mexico. We build to that demand.
A cold storage building is a thermal envelope with a structure inside it. We start with the envelope: insulated metal panels for walls and roof, continuous vapor barriers, detailed joints and a plan for penetrations. The structural frame for racking and equipment sits inside or beside the envelope, and each connection through the panel has a thermal break. Details at corners, the roof edge and the dock are where leaks begin, so we mock up the critical ones.
Foundations and the slab come next. A freezer slab sits on insulation over a heating or ventilation system that keeps the soil below from freezing. Slab layers include a vapor barrier, insulation rated for load, a reinforced concrete slab with a wear surface and joints placed for the racking layout. The details are demanding, and our industrial concrete floors practice supports the work.
The building falls under the 2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code, which adopts the 2021 International Building Code as amended and took effect July 14, 2023, and energy provisions follow the 2021 commercial energy code, in effect since January 30, 2024. Insulation, air barrier and refrigeration energy provisions all matter in cold storage, and the energy code is a design driver rather than an afterthought.
The state's code page also lists the 2024 New Mexico Mechanical Code as effective August 1, 2026, with permits under either the 2021 or 2024 edition until January 1, 2027 and only the 2024 edition after that. Refrigeration systems are mechanical work, so the edition that applies depends on the permit date. We watch the timing and tell the design team which edition to design to.
Insulated panels, vapor barriers, refrigeration equipment, specialty doors and slab systems all raise the cost. Freezers cost more than coolers, because of thicker insulation and the under-slab system. Racking, dock equipment, controls and backup power add cost, and the electrical service is typically larger than a dry warehouse's. The size of the refrigeration plant is determined by the product load, the door traffic and the climate.
Operating cost is also important. A building with high air leakage or a poor dock design may cost more in power each year than the savings from a cheaper construction price. We help owners compare options in terms of lifecycle cost and design details that reduce load, such as vestibules, high-speed doors and light-colored roofs. These matter in a place where summer highs average 96.2 degrees F in June.
Produce shippers and packers need coolers close to the field. Hatch is known worldwide for chile, and the Mesilla Valley grows and packs a range of crops that need cooling soon after harvest. Hatch is also on the Southwestern Railroad, and I-25 is close. Food processors need cold space for ingredients and finished goods, and border distributors need a place to stage perishables.
A November 2019 Border Report article described a state-backed plan that included a $40 million expansion of a Union Pacific swap yard at Santa Teresa, and the Santa Teresa intermodal terminal is reported with 74,000 feet of trackage. Rail and truck access make the area a good fit for cold chain logistics. We build for cold storage and refrigerated operators and for food and beverage companies that need cold space attached to processing.
A full cold storage package includes site work and drainage, foundation and under-slab system, structural frame, insulated panel envelope, roof, dock doors and levelers, vestibules, interior partitions between temperature zones, electrical service and distribution, lighting and fire protection. Fire protection in cold storage has its own challenges, such as dry systems in freezers, and we coordinate with the fire protection designer.
We also coordinate the refrigeration contractor's work, including equipment pads, roof or yard supports, pipe racks and penetrations through the envelope. Where an existing building will receive a cold addition, our refrigerated dock retrofits service covers the dock and envelope tie-in. Space for later expansion is easy to provide if planned from the beginning.
Decide the temperature zones first. A building with a cooler, a freezer and an ambient dock needs partitions and different slab systems, and it is hard to change after the concrete is poured. Decide the racking and equipment next, since floor flatness, column spacing and clear height follow from them. Decide how trucks will reach the building and which way the docks face, because sun on a dock wall adds load.
Consider the building type. Our cold storage facility page describes the typical forms, and a food and beverage processing plant is a different animal with washdown, drains and sanitary finishes. Choosing the right form early prevents expensive changes. For simple dry additions, a basic shell from our warehouse shell construction service may be enough.
Send the product you handle, the temperature zones you need and the size you are considering. We will give you a building concept, a budget range and a schedule.
It costs more per square foot, mainly for the insulated envelope, refrigeration, slab system and electrical service. The difference grows as the temperature drops. We prepare budgets by zone so you can see what a cooler adds and what a freezer adds.
Yes, in most cases. Without heat, the soil under a freezer freezes and expands, lifting and cracking the floor. The system can use warm air ducts, glycol loops or electric heating, and we coordinate the choice with the refrigeration designer.
Design, permit review and long-lead equipment drive the timeline more than site work. Panels and refrigeration equipment can take months to arrive. We show those items on the schedule and sequence the site work to match them.
Often yes. We evaluate the shed's slab and structure, build an insulated room within or attached to it, and tie it to the dock. Smaller coolers are an efficient first step for growers and packers.
It raises the load on the roof, the walls facing the sun and the dock doors. We specify reflective roofs, insulated panels, vestibules and fast doors, and we size the plant for hot-day conditions.
A refrigeration engineer or design-build refrigeration contractor does. We build the structure and envelope and coordinate with them on pads, supports, penetrations and power.