Each year, when the calendar strikes August 25, the operations of Perrault Farms kick into high gear.
For the next 35 days, the Toppenish, Wash., facilities operate around the clock to harvest, dry, bale and chill the hops that will be sold to commercial and craft brewers worldwide.
“It’s a very perishable crop,” says Steve Perrault, president of the fourth-generation family business. “Hops are kind of like a wine grape—when they’re ready, they’re ready, and we need to be very efficient at processing them.”
Perrault commissioned new metal buildings to replace the business’ previous cramped and outdated facilities. The buildings are designed to support maximum productivity during the crop’s brief harvesting season.
A 19,530 square-foot hop kiln building is the first stop for the green hop cones after they are stripped from the vines. In this building, propane furnaces blow hot air on the cones to remove excess moisture. The entire process takes about nine hours, 25 percent faster than at the previous facility.
“We’ve cut down our drying time, which has also reduced our propane use and electricity substantially, so it’s a much more sustainable facility,” Perrault says.
After drying, the cones are transported via conveyor to the adjacent 26,000 square-foot hop baling building, where they begin to cool. Ambient air blows through vented air trenches within the concrete floor slab, reducing cone temperature while eliminating the risk of spontaneous combustion.
A four-foot cupola extending the full length of the building allows the moist, hot air to escape out of the roof.
Next, the hop cones are compressed into 200-pound bales, stacked and transported by conveyor to the building’s refrigerated cold room where the temperature is reduced to 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
A second-story office area and conference room at the center of the building overlooks the baling operations, providing a powerful sales tool. The facility also includes a laboratory used in the business’ hop-breeding program as well as an onsite pilot brewery where new varieties of hops can be tested.
The exteriors of both buildings feature metal panels, reinforced concrete tilt-up panels with exposed aggregate finish, and a standing seam metal roof.
“The panels around the buildings contribute to the architectural design and also protect the structures from damage from forklifts and tractors as they maneuver around the site,” says Steve Young, general manager of Concord Construction, the Star builder in Wapato, Wash., that oversaw construction. “The concrete also adds structural strength to the hop baling building when the hops are cooling.”
Extensive use of metal liner wall panels contributes to the structure’s interior aesthetics, and the interior space also features hot dipped galvanized structural steel on all frames, columns and rafters so they won’t be susceptible to rusting from the excess moisture in the air.
The project also includes a 7,500 square-foot equipment cover building.
Because the new facilities process significantly more hops than the previous ones, Perrault Farms has been able to increase the acreage of crops it plants by more than 30 percent.
The new buildings also accommodate the stricter food safety guidelines required by craft brewers, which typically use fresh hops in their brewing process.
“With the craft brewing industry growing so rapidly, food safety is very important to all of us,” Perrault says.
The new complex has definitely impressed other hop farmers in the Yakima Valley, the largest hops-producing region in the U.S.
“Everybody who has gone through the buildings is amazed; it’s one of the top facilities in the industry right now,” Perrault says. “This is something I had to do for the next generations coming up.”
Project construction was completed in 10 months.
“By going with metal buildings from Star Buildings, it really decreases the construction time, which also makes it more cost-effective,” Young says.
Related Stories
Energy-Efficient Design | Apr 19, 2022
A prefab second skin can make old apartments net zero
A German startup is offering a new way for old buildings to potentially reach net-zero status: adding a prefabricated second skin.
Concrete Technology | Apr 19, 2022
SGH’s Applied Science & Research Center achieves ISO 17025 accreditation for concrete testing procedures
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger’s (SGH) Applied Science & Research Center recently received ISO/IEC17025 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for several concrete testing methods.
Senior Living Design | Apr 19, 2022
Affordable housing for L.A. veterans and low-income seniors built on former parking lot site
The Howard and Irene Levine Senior Community, designed by KFA Architecture for Mercy Housing of California, provides badly needed housing for Los Angeles veterans and low-income seniors
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Apr 19, 2022
Multi-story building systems and selection criteria
This course outlines the attributes, functions, benefits, limits, and acoustic qualities of composite deck slabs. It reviews the three primary types of composite systems that represent the full range of long-span composite floor systems and examines the criteria for their selection, design, and engineering.
Building Team | Apr 18, 2022
Shive-Hattery Acquires WSM Architects
Shive-Hattery announces that it has acquired WSM Architects, Inc., a 13-person architecture firm in Tucson, Arizona.
University Buildings | Apr 18, 2022
SmithGroup to design new Univ. of Colorado Denver engineering, design, computing building
The University of Colorado Denver selected SmithGroup to design a new engineering, design, and computing building that will serve as anchor of new downtown innovation district.
Building Team | Apr 15, 2022
Frank Gehry to design his largest building yet for his hometown of Toronto
Famed architect Frank Gehry will design his largest building to date for his hometown of Toronto, Canada.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 14, 2022
Healthcare construction veteran creates next-level IPD process for hospital projects
Can integrated project delivery work without incentives for building team members? Denton Wilson thinks so.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 14, 2022
JLL's take on the race for industrial space
In the previous decade, the inventory of industrial space couldn’t keep up with demand that was driven by the dual surges of the coronavirus and online shopping. Vacancies declined and rents rose. JLL has just published a research report on this sector called “The Race for Industrial Space.” Mehtab Randhawa, JLL’s Americas Head of Industrial Research, shares the highlights of a new report on the industrial sector's growth.
High-rise Construction | Apr 14, 2022
Seattle’s high-rise convention center nears completion
The new Washington State Convention Center Summit Building—billed as the first high-rise convention center in North America—is on track to complete most of its construction later this year.