The new highbay for COLDO in Kuurne brings together frozen storage, expedition and supporting functions in a compact and high-performance logistics building. The project responds to the growing demand for automated cold storage capacity and strengthens COLDO’s position as a specialised player in temperature-controlled logistics. By carefully aligning storage, goods handling and technical infrastructure, the building provides an efficient and future-oriented working environment.
The building is located on COLDO’s existing site in Kuurne, where the available space is used to maximum effect for logistics operations. With a height of almost 47 metres and a capacity of 60,000 pallet spaces, the project adopts a distinctly vertical storage strategy. This compact approach limits the building’s footprint and preserves the site for truck movements, loading and unloading zones, and internal circulation. Additional functions such as expedition, picking, offices and technical rooms are logically connected to the operation of the highbay.
Architecturally, the project is conceived as a clear and robust industrial volume, in which the building, racking structure, cooling technology and automation are closely integrated. The scale of the highbay is structured through a legible volumetric composition and a functional materiality that responds to the industrial character of the site. Particular attention was given to the organisation of logistics flows, the technical performance of the frozen storage volume and the efficient use of space at site level.
The decision to organise parking on the roof of the front building illustrates the project’s thorough spatial optimisation. This results in a compact site configuration in which staff, freight traffic and goods flows each follow their own clear logic. The new highbay combines scale, automation and sustainability in a building that architecturally supports COLDO’s operational ambitions.
The result speaks for itself. The building was awarded the Logistics Building of the Year 2026, a recognition by professionals from across the logistics sector. It stands as proof that thoughtful engineering and seamless collaboration between building partners can produce an industrial building that is both economically and ecologically relevant.
