Project Description
Insulfoam, a national supplier of quality expanded polystyrene (EPS) rigid foam insulation for commercial and residential roof, wall, and below grade insulation applications, sustained significant damage to its Lakeland, Florida production facilities when struck by suspected Tornado on October 19, 2019.
Drivers of nearby Interstate 4 experienced a virtual snowstorm as raw material foam debris were blown across the road and onto windshields of passing vehicles as the facility was being struck by tornadic winds.
Building 4, a 29,000 sq ft foam block and material storage area, sustained a direct hit resulting in total structural and material loss, while adjacent buildings two and three were significantly stressed and structurally compromised.
High wind damage to Building 4. Metal structure collapsed onto foam blocks. Overturned trucks caused damage to loading docks.
Within minutes Keller responded to the emergency, facilitating bilingual coordination between the overseas property owner, located in Panama, and local Insulfoam management.
In the first project phase, within days of the initial event, damaged facility siding and roofing sheets were removed, product foam material was recovered or cleaned up, compromised structural elements–including damage incurred by overturned semi trucks in loading docks–were shored up, and compromised electrical gear was made safe. These early efforts allowed Insulfoam to continue operations with little to no lost production time.
In the second project phase, Keller conducted structural member evaluation, piece by piece, of the main production area–designating safe areas and planning the rebuild–while operations continued.
In the final project phase, which constituted a complete rebuild of the 29,000 sq. foot block storage area, plans for pre-engineered metal building, manufactured by Kirby building systems, were designed, drafted, authorized and the structure erected just six months after the repairs on building two and three were completed.
Keller is exceptional. Their entire team is professional, knowledgeable, and responsive to our needs. They arrive on schedule, maintain tempo, communicate frequently, and remain flexible around change requests. When we were hit by a Tornado, Keller moved rapidly to get us back up and running in order to ensure we didn’t have any disruption to production. Expect a good, very professional relationship with them.
The capabilities of Keller – the engineering, the design, the scope of what they do is rather surprising – you wouldn’t guess how much they get involved in. The level of communication is exceptional and it’s not just from the project lead. All levels of the organization keep us informed. The total aspect of what Keller brings to the table and their different ways of analyzing a situation are a few of the unexpected benefits you get when doing business with Keller. They remain a valued and trusted partner to Insulfoam.
Services Provided
Keller’s applicable capabilities utilized for this project include but were not limited to:
Metal Building Construction
- Assessment
- Design
- Engineering
- Building department approval
- Code compliance
- Environmental assessment
- Concrete foundation repair
- Structural metal assessment/repair
Electrical Contracting
- Electrical gear / switchgear
- Medium voltage panels
- High-voltage electrical
- Panel studies & assessment
- Load calculations
- Replacement
- Lighting Controls
Mechanical Contracting
- Process piping and distribution (for bags/raw material storage)
- Ducting
Project Size
29,000 Square Feet
Project Location
4500 S Frontage Rd, Lakeland, FL 33815