Tailored Pre-Engineering Creates a Shopping Giant

Nearly one mile long, a shopping mall in Philadelphia does not fit the warehouse image of pre-engineered buildings. Under construction in northeast Philadelphia, the Franklin Mills Mall is so big that its developer is considering running shuttle buses along its perimeter. The pre-engineered structure was actually a “tailored” pre-engineered structure, requiring the services of a structural engineer for one year. The mall will be the largest single story mall in the U.S. With over 90 acres of parking area, a detention pond was needed. Over 1.3 million cu yd of dirt were moved during sitework.