The Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) has named Sadel Group’s Magnavale Easton cold storage facility in Grantham, United Kingdom; and Griffco Design/Build’s Scout Cold Logistics project in Lancaster, Texas, as the winners of the 2025 CEBA Built By The Best Awards.

Recognition with a Built By the Best Award represents leadership in design and construction of temperature-controlled facilities, built to the highest standards including quality, sustainability and safety. The awards were presented on Wednesday during the CEBA Annual Conference and Expo. 

In the Controlled Environment, Cold Storage & Distribution Warehouses category, Sadel Group won this category for its Magnavale Easton project in Grantham, UK, which has set a new benchmark in Europe for automated frozen storage combining speed, precision, flexibility, operational efficiency, and safety. This project has delivered the UK’s most advanced cold chain facility, a fully automated high-bay frozen warehouse at -18 degrees Celsius with 101,000 pallet capacity, including over-height positions.

Innovative design and automation features include AS/RS with dual monorails and 3,000 meters of conveyors across three floors. The facility also benefits from a bespoke control system to ensure uninterrupted flow and a 3.5 MW two-stage refrigeration system to maintain precise temperatures across multiple zones.

“We are incredibly proud to receive the CEBA Award, which recognizes the dedication, innovation, and collaboration of everyone involved in developing the Magnavale Easton cold store facility, here in the UK. This project represents years of commitment to pushing the boundaries of cold-storage design, resulting in the most advanced high-bay frozen warehouse of its kind. Our team, along with our trusted partners, have set a new benchmark for efficiency, sustainability, and performance in the sector,” said Andrew Lawrence, director of SADEL Group.

In the Special Works Projects category, Griffco Design/Build, Inc. won this category for its Scout Cold Logistics project in Lancaster, Texas, where it met the considerable challenge of delivering an 88,115 square foot box-in-box cold storage buildout inside a 551,000 square foot warehouse to support a global meal kit brand.

Specialist features of the facility include multiple temperature zones, separated high/low-care areas, and three occupancy types. An innovative design incorporated BIM and digital twin modeling that enables clash detection, and 3D visualization. A unique fire code required a custom smoke/heat system, while extended permitting and rock obstructions were successfully met while staying on time and budget. Sustainability credentials were supported with freon-based split refrigeration, enhanced drainage, and reinforced structure for expansion.

“We are honored to be named CEBA’s first Built by the Best Award winner in the Special Works Projects category for Scout Cold Logistics’ box-in-box expansion in Lancaster, Texas. Delivering this complex project on time and within budget was a true team effort, and we appreciate CEBA’s commitment to recognizing innovation and excellence in the Controlled Environment industry,” said Scott Griffin, founder & CEO, Griffco Design/Build Inc. 

In addition to the category winners, finalists were: 

• TI Cold for its Banks Cold Storage project in Commerce, Georgia – a scalable, efficient, sustainable, and resilient facility setting a benchmark for innovation and supply chain advancement.
• Greek Design | Build for its Ocean Kingdom project in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which expanded cold-storage capacity to enhances Ocean Kingdom’s seafood distribution with direct access to Interstate 95 and Philadelphia International Airport.

All finalists presented their projects to attendees during the conference and were decided by a team of judges drawn from the non-submitting member companies.