Chengdu Yinli Agricultural Cold Chain Logistics Center Phase III – BICP Taiku System

Traditional cold storage column grids are too small, limiting rack layout, forklift movement, and future automation upgrades. Expansion joints, beam depth, and insulation area affect construction cost, usable storage volume, and operational energy consumption. The project requires integrated planning of structure, insulation, racking, and operational efficiency from the design stage.

Adopted a 10–14 m large-span post-tensioned flat slab structural system. Optimized expansion joints for building lengths up to 120 m. Reduced structural height with flat slab floors to minimize insulation area and improve usable volume. Conducted 3D BIM coordination with racking systems to facilitate future mechanization and automation.

The Chengdu Yinli Cold Chain Logistics Center is a representative cold chain logistics base in Southwest China, providing integrated warehousing, distribution, and cold chain network services for cold chain e-commerce enterprises. It is planned to become a national backbone cold chain logistics base. Following the commissioning of Phase I in 2014 and Phase II in 2019, Phase III (including cold storages B3, B6, and a distribution center) has commenced construction. The project owner is Chengdu Yinli Cold Storage Logistics Co., Ltd., and the designer is Huashang International Engineering Co., Ltd. BICP continues to provide large-span post-tensioned cold storage solutions, post-tensioned design, and professional contracting services for this project.

Since 2016, BICP and Huashang International Engineering have collaborated closely, addressing the pain points of traditional cold storage structures. They pioneered the early representative 'Taiku' system—a large-span post-tensioned flat slab cold storage—in Phase II of the Chengdu Yinli project (B4 and B5). Under the same building area, the rack count increased by approximately 40% compared to the Phase I small-column-grid scheme.

300+ Taiku post-tensioned flat slab cold storages have been built. For Phase III of the Chengdu Yinli project, the owner again selected BICP to provide post-tensioned design and professional construction services.

Phase III is located north of Sanhuo Road and east of Sanhuo West Road in Qingbaijiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan. It comprises cold storages B3 and B6, a distribution center, and ancillary facilities, with a total construction area of approximately 230,000 m² and a total investment of about 1.1 billion RMB.

Project overview:

• Structural height: 44.3 m (cold storage main building)
• Floors: 1 basement, 8 above ground
• Cold storage area dimensions: 102.50 m × 47.90 m
• Column grid: 12.65 m × 11.75 m

Advantages of applying the Taiku system in cold storage B6:

1. The post-tensioned system allowed a 'dual-storage-in-one' design, achieving a structural length of 102.50 m without expansion joints. This reduced the number of vertical structural walls and columns, lowering structural cost and optimizing insulation layout.
2. The large column grid of 12.65 m increased usable storage volume by approximately 20% and reduced construction cost by 10–20% compared to conventional cold storage structures under the same span.
3. Compared with waffle slabs of the same span, Taiku reduced floor height by about 60 cm per level.

Usable storage volume increased by approximately 20%; construction cost reduced by 10–20% compared to conventional solutions under the same span; floor height reduced by about 60 cm per level; structural length of 102.5 m achieved without expansion joints.