qcells

This 808,000 square foot facility, located in Dalton, Georgia, was designed for Hanwha Qcells USA, Inc. Qcells, headquartered in Germany and South Korea, is a global leader in the research, manufacturing, assembly, and distribution of solar modules. The project, constructed next to the existing Qcells facility, serves as a welcome addition and major asset to the Hanwha Qcells North America sector.
The existing building, a 367,000 square foot manufacturing facility, was completed in 2019 and in 2022, Designform was approached by Gray Construction to partner with them on a new facility. Originally, the project was designed as a 286,000
square foot, one story building, but in the Fall of 2022 Qcells notified the team that they were prepared to make an additional investment and would require more area in order to better serve the needs of U.S. customers. Designform, along with Gray Construction and the design team, researched multiple options to determine the best path forward to provide Qcells with an efficient and cohesive campus that could meet their production and distribution goals.
The final design, which added over 500,000 square feet to the original plan, consisted of warehousing, production, testing, and office areas. The layout of the building was done in a way to maximize the flow of materials through the building with the raw goods warehouse wrapping the production area to easily facilitate material supply which then feeds from production into the packaging area and ends at the finished goods warehouse. The dual loading dock and warehousing approach provided not only an efficient flow within the interior of the building, but also for the site as well. Strategically dispersed throughout the production and warehouse areas are satellite offices and testing areas to provide the support required to execute Qcells’ goal successfully. The main office area was also increased from a one story, 9,000 square foot area to a two story, 20,500 square foot area. Expansive storefront at the office’s exterior façade not only provides a connection to outside, but to the existing facility as well and creates an enhanced work environment for Qcells’ employees. Multiple lounges, an extensive cafeteria, and multi-purpose rooms also speak to the importance of the positive work culture that Qcells promotes and additional features include enhanced security incorporated into the entrance and a meeting room on the second floor that provides direct views as well as a viewing platform to the production area below.

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Completed in 2023, this new facility has increased Qcells’ total capacity in the U.S. to 3.1 gigawatts which is equal to one-third of the country’s solar module manufacturing capacity. Through close coordination and consideration of their operations, the team has been able to not only deliver a successful project to Qcells, but provide a key asset to their company both nationally and internationally.