The design-build advantage: From concept to production in under two years
Consumer demand for preventative health products continues to grow year over year. For Pharmavite, producer of Nature Made® and other leading vitamin and supplement brands, this growing demand created an opportunity to strategically expand capacity and better serve evolving consumer needs. In 2022, Pharmavite committed to adding a greenfield manufacturing campus to its network, purpose-built to continue delivering on the company’s mission: “Bringing the gift of health to life.”
With that vision as their driver, CRB partnered with a general contractor to form a fully integrated design-build team. The result of this team’s collaborative approach is a 225,000-square-foot, $252 million Center of Excellence in New Albany, Ohio. The design-build team delivered this facility on time and on budget, setting a new benchmark for speed, quality, and long-term scalability.
Project Details
Client
Pharmavite
Location
New Albany, Ohio
Square Footage
225,000
Designed for today—and for what’s next.
Adding immediate capacity to Pharmavite’s network was the project’s primary business driver, but another objective closely followed: ensuring long-term scalability and sustainability. Pharmavite needed a facility that could keep pace with the market without major future retrofits and with minimal environmental impact.
That future-focused mindset guided CRB’s design from the outset. Less than two years after project kickoff, Pharmavite’s first shipment left the new facility’s production line. Additional capacity for a second line sits ready in an adjacent space, complete with right-sized utility systems and structural allowances.
The resulting facility was designed to support both current production demands and future operational growth, integrating manufacturing, infrastructure, and expansion-ready capabilities across the campus, including:
- Approximately 216,000 square feet of manufacturing space with expansion capacity to 225,000 square feet
- Warehousing, GMP manufacturing suites, quality control labs, office space, and collaboration areas
- A 17,661-square-foot central utility building and supporting mechanical infrastructure
- Waste treatment facilities and stormwater management systems supporting continuous operations
- An integrated starch depositing process with conditioning tunnels, finishing systems, and packaging capabilities
- A high-speed gummy manufacturing line capable of producing approximately 3 billion gummies annually
One team. Zero silos.
This project’s success depended on much more than a strong design. It required an integrated design-build team, committed to Pharmavite’s vision and fully accountable to the company’s cost and schedule targets from day one.
The design-build team established this “one team” approach from project kickoff by co-sponsoring an alignment workshop with Pharmavite. More than 60 stakeholders attended, working together to define the project charter and establish how the integrated team would make decisions together. Within 100 days of that workshop, key trade partners joined the conversation. This early and deeply integrated design-build approach enabled strategies such as:
- Advanced VDC coordination. From early design through field installation, trade partners from mechanical, electrical, and structural disciplines collaborated with the design-build team in a coordinated 3D BIM model. This approach ensured that designs were “field-ready” from day one, helping to reduce wasted effort and preserve schedule certainty.
- Strategic prefabrication. Because of this high level of inter-disciplinary coordination, the team was able to rely on off-site prefabrication for electrical rooms, underground utilities, pipe racks, equipment skids, and more. This approach enhanced installation quality and streamlined on-site work.
- Ongoing collaboration. The team maintained close coordination and rapid decision-making throughout the project to keep work progressing efficiently.
Human-centered by design.
Performance on paper isn’t enough. CRB recognized that long-term success would depend on the people working inside the new facility. But in a competitive labor market, attracting and retaining the right people is sometimes challenging.
To address that challenge, CRB worked closely with Pharmavite to envision a manufacturing environment that would feel more like a high-tech headquarters than a traditional industrial plant: modern, welcoming, and bright.
The result is a campus designed for the people who spend time there. Walking trails wind across the 42-acre site. Natural light fills the interior. Well-designed circulation routes encourage active movement throughout the building, while ergonomics and employee comfort were considered in every detail. In short: this workplace attracts top talent by embodying the health-focused mission of its owner.
Supporting success at every stage.
While speed, integration, and collaboration defined the core of this project’s success, several additional workstreams played an important role in ensuring the facility performs as intended—both at startup and for years to come. Operational readiness, sustainability, and procurement were thoughtfully integrated throughout the project, helping to support a smooth transition to operations, reduce environmental impact, and maintain cost and schedule certainty.
Operational readiness
As the operational readiness and CQV owner’s representative, our team developed the full suite of foundational project documents, including commissioning and validation master plans, project RACI, SOPs, and User Requirement Specifications (URS) for both direct-impact and non-direct-impact systems. We also performed system risk assessments and managed comprehensive design reviews to ensure quality and compliance were embedded throughout the project lifecycle. Beyond technical responsibilities, the operational readiness team led project management efforts to ensure seamless integration and coordination with design and construction, enabling successful and on-time project turnover.
Sustainability
Early sustainability planning began with a sustainability charrette and strategy alignment for LEED certification principles. Energy modeling was used to right-size systems and equipment for optimal value. This approach allowed for strategic utility-saving MEP and HVAC designs with future-ready infrastructure. Alternative technologies were also selected to further reduce and recover energy, including heat recovery systems on 100% outside-air air handling units (AHUs) and chillers. Additionally, refrigerants were rigorously vetted to reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions, supporting the project’s achievement of LEED certification in April 2026.
As a result, by 2028, the site will reduce Scope 1 & 2 CO2 emissions by 50%, reduce water by 10%, and reduce simple incineration and waste to landfill by 50%.
Procurement
Our procurement experts managed project cost and schedule risks through proactive planning, detailed tracking tools, and strong partner relationships. We used an integrated equipment procurement strategy for bidding, equipment selection, purchase order issuance, and expediting, under a fully integrated equipment buyout. Major procurement managed systems included the gummy fill and packaging line, wastewater system, pumps, scales, syrup tanks, blowers, and material handling equipment.
Building a legacy, together.
With CRB at the helm, the integrated design-build team laid the foundation for this project’s on-time, on-budget delivery through trust, transparency, and ongoing collaboration.
The result is more than a manufacturing facility. It’s a scalable production hub that strengthens Pharmavite’s national distribution network and positions the company for confident, sustained growth.
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