Multilevel Warehouse Design: Unexpected Challenges (and Solutions)

“We mined their private archives for the historical jackets on the walls, sourced vintage pieces at the entry and throughout the store,” says Melissa Gonzalez, Founder of Lionesque Group. A series of orange shadow boxes displays Alpha’s historic styles including the MA-1 and its predecessor the B-150D flight jacket along one wall. In all, visitors can view more than two dozen vintage items throughout.

Over the past 15 years, multilevel warehouses — particularly those used for retail purposes — have been a growing trend across Asia, and more recently, in the United States. However, some challenges accompany their design and construction that are not encountered in the traditional approach to large-format retail. With operational criteria at the top of the list, these challenges vary heavily based on several factors, including location, footprint, environment, jurisdictional requirements, and even cultural and community influences.