PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Southport Auto Terminal and Vehicle Processing Center (VPC) project won a prestigious Diamond Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) as part of their Engineering Excellence Awards program. The project was entered in the Industrial and Manufacturing Processes and Facilities category. 

STV was contracted by the Port of Philadelphia (PhilaPort) to provide architectural and engineering design services for the Southport Auto Terminal and VPC as part of a multi-year task order contract.

The new facility is the first terminal to be opened by PhilaPort in more than 45 years and is part of a large-scale effort to enhance automobile processing capacity on the East Coast. The terminal, which consists of a sophisticated 108,000-square-foot VPC and a 156-acre terminal yard, facilitates the inspection and washing of imported cars, as well as the addition of after-market components, before the vehicles are shipped to distributors throughout the East Coast. Capable of servicing 200 cars per hour and fully processing more than 1,000 cars daily, it handles more than 200,000 Hyundai and Kia vehicles per year.

STV designed a state-of-the-art body shop including two automated car washes with two double prep stations and two joined double paint booths. Additionally, the building contains a dedicated 1,000-square-foot training room, a 625-square-foot combination conference/training room, a 3,200-square-foot multi-purpose room that serves as an additional training area, and an explosion-proof paint storage area. The VPC utilizes radiant floor heat to improve working conditions, and aid productivity in winter weather conditions.