Highlights

  • Goodman develops and manages logistics and digital infrastructure properties in major global markets.
  • Multi-storey facilities can increase usable logistics floor area where urban industrial land is limited.
  • Ramp access, loading arrangements and building services determine whether elevated floors operate efficiently.
  • Construction expenditure, planning approvals and customer leasing remain key delivery considerations.

Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) is a global specialist in industrial property, logistics facilities and data centre infrastructure, developing, owning and managing assets alongside capital partners. Its multi-level warehouses are designed to accommodate distribution activities on several floors where sites close to consumers are scarce. The approach requires coordination between property development, civil engineering and occupier operations. Goodman continued investing in logistics and digital infrastructure opportunities in FY26, while development and leasing decisions remained dependent on individual market conditions.

Why Urban Warehouses Are Built Vertically

Traditional logistics buildings occupy large, single-level sites with broad truck manoeuvring areas. In dense metropolitan locations, suitable land can be difficult to obtain at an acceptable development cost. Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) uses multi-storey building formats to create additional lettable space on constrained sites. The model is particularly relevant to established logistics districts serving urban consumers, where proximity to major roads, labour pools and delivery destinations can support the operational value of space.

Vehicle Access, Loading Docks and Internal Movement

Goodman describes multi-storey logistics facilities as properties where individual levels can operate independently, with ramps, freight lifts or conveyor systems moving goods between floors. In ramp-access schemes, designers must allow for vehicle turning space, suitable gradients and safe separation of trucks from pedestrians. Loading docks and circulation paths need to support deliveries without creating queues or bottlenecks. Configurations differ across properties.

A Goodman logistics property at Joso in Japan illustrates this approach. Its disclosed design includes truck and passenger-vehicle traffic separation, weather-protected access areas and loading arrangements intended to streamline freight handling. Such features reflect the additional operational planning required when industrial activities extend above ground level. For Goodman Group (ASX:GMG), tenant-specific considerations also include door clearance, dock dimensions, fire protection, lighting and internal goods-handling equipment.

Structural Design and Development Risks

Upper-floor warehouses need structural systems suitable for storage loads, machinery and the movement of goods. Floor strength, vibration, lift capacity and ceiling clearance have implications for tenant fit-outs and future flexibility. Automated storage equipment can create additional demands for power, floor tolerances and maintenance access. These engineering considerations must be addressed alongside local planning, traffic and environmental requirements, which differ across cities and jurisdictions.

Building vertically can also increase construction complexity through heavier structural elements, more circulation space and staged commissioning. Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) faces exposure to labour availability, material costs, project scheduling and changes in customer requirements. Pre-leasing and consultation with occupiers help establish how a completed facility will be used, but do not remove the risks of construction delays, cost variation or changing demand for industrial space.

FY26 Context and Operational Measures

Goodman reported AUD 1,203.5 million of operating profit in the half-year ended 31 December 2025, alongside continued investment in logistics and data centre opportunities. Its August 2026 full-year reporting also emphasised infrastructure supporting the digital economy. These disclosures show that multi-storey logistics remains one component of a broader development and investment-management business rather than its sole growth activity.

For Goodman Group (ASX:GMG), useful indicators include development work in progress, completion timetables, customer pre-commitments, leasing demand and capital-partner participation. Project-level economics also reflect usable warehouse space and construction requirements.

Key Insights

Multi-level warehouse development adds logistics capacity to sites where horizontal expansion is limited, but requires detailed engineering and customer planning. Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) applies the format within its global industrial property activities. Its effectiveness depends on accessible upper floors, suitable building services, disciplined construction delivery and occupier demand rather than height alone.