Landing 4 — ElectraMeccanica

Mesa, Ariz.

BEST PROJECT, MANUFACTURING

Submitted By: Small Giants

Owner: Martens Development

Lead Design Firm: Ware Malcomb

General Contractor: Willmeng Construction

Civil Engineer: Hunter Engineering

Structural Engineer: TLCP Structural

MEP Engineer: Sazan Group

Geotechnical Consultant: Speedie & Associates


Originally developed by Marwest Enterprises, this facility was named Landing 4 before electric vehicle manufacturer ElectraMeccanica chose the space for its U.S. manufacturing center. Featuring 235,000 sq ft of Class A industrial space with 32-ft clear heights, the modern industrial building features a glass exterior and aluminum composite facing at the main entrance, painted in the automaker’s dark blue color scheme.

The tilt-up concrete structure sits on 18 acres adjacent to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Scope of work included shell construction and tenant improvement, along with some earthwork that featured landscaping, irrigation and new fire line and storm drain piping. 

Landing 4 — ElectraMeccanica

Photo by Small Giants

The facility will also be the home to ElectraMeccanica’s first U.S.-based engineering technical center, including 22,000 sq ft of office space and 19,000 sq ft of lab space. An office portion of the building features large breakrooms, meeting rooms and restrooms.

Completed below budget and ahead of schedule in October 2022, the facility will employ 500 people and has the capacity to produce 20,000 vehicles a year. To maintain the client’s asset-light model, ElectraMeccanica will lease the building from the developer. The facility will also be able to host other companies as a contract manufacturing partner.

Landing 4 — ElectraMeccanica

Photo by Small Giants

With the amount of electrical needs of this facility, the contractor’s intensive preconstruction efforts helped anticipate procurement issues with electrical components. During construction, the contractor also shifted the building sequencing to accommodate tenant improvement design, working on both the shell and the interior features simultaneously. This allowed crews to install electrical boxes and other utility elements in the floor before placing the concrete slab, for example.

Although the facility was fully leased before construction began, as the project neared completion, ElectraMeccanica decided to make the project its headquarters. An established relationship between the contractor and the city of Mesa helped speed permitting and adjust schedules to accommodate the client’s evolving needs as the team completed different phases of the building.

ElectraMeccanica’s headquarters is the fifth electric vehicle manufacturing facility to open in Arizona since 2016, with the state ranking seventh nationally for electric vehicle adoption.

Landing 4 — ElectraMeccanica

Photo by Small Giants