At the 45th Annual Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) Conference & Expo the message was loud and clear — innovation needs to keep on coming.

Sadel Group’s Magnavale Easton cold storage project has delivered the UK’s most advanced cold chain facility, with a fully automated high-bay frozen warehouse at -18°C with 101,000 pallet capacity.

As reliance on the global cold chain increases, continually improving construction design through innovation is the key to efficiency and sustainability.

That was one of the main messages at the 45th Annual Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) Conference & Expo where more than 550 attendees spent three days in Las Vegas earlier this month discussing best in class facility design, cold chain trends and market investment.

“Temperature-controlled facility design and construction has surged in recent years. These projects — sophisticated next-gen buildings, special endeavors, and retrofits — are all vital links in the global cold chain,” said Lindsay Shelton-Gross, Senior Vice President, Global Communications, Marketing, and Strategic Initiatives for the Global Cold Chain Alliance which partnered with CEBA on the Expo. “Suppliers are also providing increasingly innovative products that make builds more sophisticated, more energy-resilient, and more future-proofed for their clients’ long-term needs.”

Panelists, presenters and break-out sessions covered food safety by design, energy efficiency, and construction and warehousing. The Trends & Market Forces in Temperature-Controlled Facility Construction panel discussion drew one of the largest crowds. Panelists included Anita Nanda, SVP, Global Development & Automation, Americold; Mark Grimes, Facility and Engineering Development, Gordon Food Services; John Long, Senior Vice President of Design & Construction, RL Cold; Mike Llewellyn, SVP of Construction, RealCold. The Moderator was Scott Guimond, Vice President, Fisher Construction Group.

Lindsay Shelton-Gross, Senior VP, Global Cold Chain Alliance

Customers Look for Flexibility

Shelton-Gross offered some key insights from this year’s programming and discussions.

“A trend that came across clearly throughout the conference is that customers say flexibility is key – investments in anything that becomes antiquated too quickly is problematic. Assessing a technology’s results against the Return on Investment early in a project lifecycle is vital. And with tariffs and material costs starting to rise to the top of RFPs, customers are not willing to pay additional funds for material increase. So, what does the future look like? We can expect widespread use of software that fully integrates all aspects of a project, including legacy systems. We can also expect high value paced on early and frank conversations, enabling better and more confident decisions.”

She also said AI won’t replace builders but instead improves decision making.

“The conference program included exploration of the practical applications for AI in controlled environment construction, including design and visualization, documentation, and facility performance. It is allowing concepts to be developed more rapidly with image editing and generative fill. Team notes can be instantly summarized, and voice-to-text platforms capture notes more quickly out in the field. AI-driven predictive cost estimating and optimizing resource allocation are allowing for more efficient project management.” Ultimately, Shelton-Gross said smart workforce recruiting and retention is key.

“Delegates discussed the challenges which remain in getting the word out about career paths in controlled environment design and construction. There was consensus that a positive culture is key, with ideas raised including relationships building, mentoring, and employee resource groups that center on wellness,” she said.

The Griffco Design/Build Inc. Lancaster, TX, project delivered an 88,115 square foot box-in-box cold storage buildout.

Temperature Controlled Facility Projects

CEBA named Sadel Group’s Magnavale Easton cold storage facility in Grantham, United Kingdom; and Griffco Design/Build’s Scout Cold Logistics project in Texas, United States, as the winners of the 2025 CEBA Built By The Best Awards. CEBA’s Built by the Best is a top industry award recognizing innovative controlled environment construction projects throughout the world. The award acknowledges the highest in building standards, sustainability, and complexity/contribution to larger society and the temperature-controlled supply chain.

Shelton-Gross said Sadel set a new benchmark in Europe for automated frozen storage combining speed, precision, flexibility, operational efficiency, and safety. This project has delivered the UK’s most advanced cold chain facility, a fully automated high-bay frozen warehouse at -18°C with 101,000 pallet capacity, including over-height positions.

In addition, the facility’s innovative design and automation features include ASRS with dual monorails and 3,000m of conveyors across three floors. The building also benefits from a bespoke control system to ensure uninterrupted flow and a 3.5 MW two-stage refrigeration system to maintain precise temperatures across multiple zones.

Griffco Design/Build Inc. Lancaster, TX, project delivered an 88,115 square foot box-in-box cold storage buildout inside a 551,000 square foot warehouse to support a global meal kit brand.

Built By the Best evaluators said the special features of the Griffco facility include multiple temperature zones, separated high/low-care areas, and three occupancy types. An innovative design incorporated BIM and digital twin modeling that enables clash detection, and 3D visualization.

Griffco was complimented for its unique fire code required a custom smoke/heat system, while extended permitting and rock obstructions were successfully met while staying on time and budget. Sustainability credentials were supported with freon-based split refrigeration, enhanced drainage, and reinforced structure for expansion.

Other projects recognized at the event include:

  • TI Cold for its Banks Cold Storage project in Commerce, GA
  • Greek Design | Build for its Ocean Kingdom project in Philadelphia, PA
  • Carroll Daniel Construction Company for its Eskimo Cold Storage Project in Gainesville, GA
  • Cold Solutions Services East Africa Limited for its facility in Ruiru, Kiambu County, Kenya
  • Coldbox Builders Inc. for its Arla Foods/Condor Properties project in Vaughan, ON
  • Consolidated Construction Co., Inc. for its Midwest Refrigerated Services project in Belvidere, IL
  • Fisher Construction Group for their Simplot Freezer project in Rainier, WA
  • Greek Design | Build for their RL Cold & BGO project in Mount Laurel, NJ
  • Primus Builders, Inc. for their Arcadia Cold Storage & Logistics/Saxum Real Estate project in Jacksonville, FL

“(The Sadel) project represents years of commitment to pushing the boundaries of cold-storage design, resulting in the most advanced high-bay frozen warehouse of its kind. Our team, along with our trusted partners, have set a new benchmark for efficiency, sustainability, and performance in the sector,” said Andrew Lawrence, Director of Sadel Group.

“Delivering this complex project on time and within budget was a true team effort, and we appreciate the recognition of innovation and excellence in the controlled environment industry,” said Scott Griffin, Founder & CEO, Griffco.

Shelton-Gross said the dynamic nature of TCL construction innovation was on full display in Las Vegas.

“...Construction delivery continues to respond to the evolution of temperature-controlled logistics, embracing new technologies and innovative systems while retaining laser focus on the crucial and consistent fundamentals,” Shelton-Gross said. “As the role of temperature-controlled logistics in a resilient global food supply chain continues to grow, expertise in design, technologies, project management and other aspects of specialist construction of facilities is crucial for long term success.”