Speculative Cold Building Development: Trends and Strategies

This sector of industrial was booming even before the pandemic, and future demand is expected to soar even higher.

Recent research by CBRE estimates that demand for cold storage will increase by 100 million square feet in the next five years. However, there is less than 5 million square feet of cold storage currently being built across the U.S.

Ware Malcomb recently developed a “cold ready” speculative prototype building that can be adapted for a number of uses requiring refrigeration and freezer areas. Finding a solution for a cost-effective and highly flexible speculative cold building has long been an issue, and this new prototype could help accomplish that.

The question is, does the market demand it?

In this NAIOP Development Magazine cover story, Principal, Cameron Trefry explores different industry perspectives including brokers, developers, capital markets and design and construction.

In addition to Ware Malcomb’s unique cold building development strategy, the firm’s overall industrial thought leadership is demonstrated by recent recognition as the #1 Industrial A/E Firm by Building Design + Construction. We’ve designed over 1 billion square feet of industrial since the firm’s inception. View our latest industrial portfolio here.