Day 217 - A Holiday Greeting

Day 217 - A Holiday Greeting, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We close out 2012 a little early on our blog with a great new photo of the Cannistraro ownership in the Plumbing Museum. As this family-owned firm kicks off its 50th year in 2013, we wish you all a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous new year! We thank you all for your continued readership and support, and look forward to collaborating with you in 2013!

Day 216 - Pulling the Sleigh Since 1963

Day 216 - Pulling the Sleigh Since 1963, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

With Christmas less than 1 week away, we thought we'd share one of our favorite advertisements from recent years. This ad has taken many forms and has appeared in the Professional Contractor Magazine, BISNOW and even on the JCC company Christmas card for 2011. Our last post of 2012 will be shared tomorrow, so in case we forget to mention it...Merry Christmas!

Day 215 - Service Group Spreads Holiday Cheer

Day 215 - Service Group Spreads Holiday Cheer, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Members of the Cannistraro Service Group (and their invited guests) spread the Christmas spirit last Friday evening at the New England MCA Holiday Gala. At this particular event, all the major players in the Northeast mechanical construction industry join together and celebrate their achievements...a sentiment that is at the very heart of what NEMCA is all about.

Day 214 - High Rise Residential in Cambridge

Day 214 - High Rise Residential in Cambridge, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

For today's post we take a trip back to Cambridge, MA, where more and more construction work is beginning to pick up. Here is a view from the ground at Watermark II, a high-rise apartment complex on which Cannistraro is performing all three trades for Construction Manager John Moriarty & Associates. More to come from this project in future posts.

Day 213 - Friends in FP

Day 213 - Friends in FP, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

One week from today Cannistraro will be hosting its annual Company Holiday Party. As we prepare to spread Christmas cheer and honor staff with service and safety awards, we thought we'd share some memories of last year's event. In today's post we take a look at the camaraderie of the Fire Protection Department where Division Managers, Assistant Project Managers and Designers celebrate together.

Day 212 - Throwback Thursday (Sunday Night Football Edition)

Day 212 - Throwback Thursday (Sunday Night Football Edition), a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

On the heels of a big conference win on Monday night, Cannistraro's favorite football team (the New England Patriots) has an even bigger test this coming Sunday night. For today's post we throwback once again to the early 2000's just as the new Patriots stadium was about to open in Foxboro. While we've share similar photos in the past, today we find a Plumbing Foreman turned Coordinator in the players' weight room, long before the players took up residence.

Day 211 - Business Value of BIM in 2012

Day 211 - Business Value of BIM in 2012, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Earlier this week, we downloaded the latest SmartMarket Report on the Business Value of BIM published by McGraw Hill Construction. It is has been five years since the first report on this topic and there is no question that BIM adoption in the AEC community has increased dramatically. We are pleased to share a page of this report on which Cannistraro is referenced with a 2009 study that documented our own ROI of BIM. Download the free report (bit.ly/UxDWsh) and check out the latest facts and figures.

Day 210 - Christmas at Cannistraro

Day 210 - Christmas at Cannistraro, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, every where you look"...at least in our office anyways. The wreaths are up and the poinsettia plants have arrived at the Cannistraro corporate headquarters. In fact, there's even a Christmas tree set-up right in our front lobby! So if you visit our Watertown office this month, we hope you will share in the holiday spirit.

Day 209 - Construction Continues at UMASS Amherst

Day 209 - Construction Continues at UMASS Amherst, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The Cannistraro Plumbing team out in Western Massachusetts is making substantial progress on the Commonwealth Honors Residential Complex on the campus of UMASS Amherst. When finished, this 500,000 sf facility will house more the 1,500 students and include classrooms and other common spaces. The project is seeking a LEED Gold Rating from the USGBC and is expected to open in time for Fall of 2013.

Day 208 - Excellence in Fort Point

Day 208 - Excellence in Fort Point, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

During the recent recessionary years, one of the few cranes found in the city rose high above the Fort Point Channel at what was once known as "Russia Wharf." Yesterday the Boston Business Journal announced that the Atlantic Wharf building in this area has been named Boston's "first green skyscraper" and has been officially awarded with a LEED Platinum rating from the USGBC. Congratulations to our project partners at Atlantic Wharf Boston Properties and John Moriarty & Associates. In honor of this achievement, we turn to our friend Philip Boucher for a 2010 photo of the project.

More of his work can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/27672048@N00/4317688181/sizes/l/in/...

Day 207 - The Holiday Galas Begin

Day 207 - The Holiday Galas Begin, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Tonight is IFMA Boston's annual Holiday Gala and fundraiser to support Boston Medical Center's SPARK Center for children. As we've shown on this blog, employees of Cannistraro and Cannistraro Service Group are very involved in the Facility Management community and are proud supporters of IFMA. In honor of tonight's festivities, we share a photo from last year's event and we hope to see you this evening at the Children's Museum!

Day 206 - BIM in the Biotech Industry

Day 206 - BIM in the Biotech Industry, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In mid-to-late 2011 Cannistraro wrapped up a unique project in Quincy, MA in a building owned and operated by Boston Scientific. The project featured an impressive boiler plant that featured five condensing boilers totaling more than 3,200 MBH. For today's post we share a screen shot of the BIM of the boiler room from this project alongside an actual photo from the early stages of installation.

Day 205 - Energy Benchmarks

Day 205 - Energy Benchmarks, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

As we previously mentioned and you may have noticed, Cannistraro Service Group has been seen throughout the Fall in the BISNOW email newsletters for Boston area Commercial Real Estate. In our November ad we reminded customers about our ability to provide energy benchmarks to identify where buildings have room for improvement in terms of energy usage and energy costs. Stay tuned to see what December brings to BISNOW.

Day 204 - Learning the Tools of the Trade

Day 204 - Learning the Tools of the Trade, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Just after Thanksgiving we gave you an inside look at an internal training called "Plumbing 101" where the younger members of Cannistraro's Plumbing Department learned from the Pros. Today we share another peek at the hands-on experience gained at this worthy event. In today's photo we see Cannistraro's Plumbing Prefab Manager overseeing the use of the Pro Press technology.

Day 203 - Sharing our Approach

Today's post is coming to you amidst the actual Autodesk University 2012 session headlined by Cannistraro's own Joe Mierzejewski, LEED AP. Throughout this conference we've heard a lot about the great technologies available to contractors and design teams in our industry. In today's presentation Joe shares the Cannistraro way of incorporating Lean methods and BIM-enabled processes.

Day 202- Technology Partners

Last evening the expo floor opened up to guests and presenters of Autodesk University 2012. In our travels we ran into some familiar faces, the folks of TSI (Technical Sales International)! TSI and Cannistraro are technology partners and work closely together to maximize our BIM-enabled prefabrication capabilities. Keep up the good work!

Day 201 - Live from Autodesk University

The remainder of the week on this blog will document Cannistraro's participation in AU2012 (Autodesk University). We are lucky enough to have been selected to speak at this huge event which includes a large expo, a technology conference and lots of high level BIM talk! Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.

Day 200 - Bird's Eye View of a Boiler Plant

Day 200 - Bird's Eye View of a Boiler Plant, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We start the final week of November with a trip back to Wrentham, MA and the Energy Upgrade Project for DCAM. We've covered much of the progress in the boiler plant at the Wrentham Developmental Facility, but not from this angle. From this unique perspective you can truly see the breadth of the project, the complex mechanical infrastructure and the hangers and supports.

Day 199 - Trimble on the Deck

Day 199 - Trimble on the Deck, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In our last post before the Thanksgiving holiday we take you to Somerville, MA and the new Assembly Row project. In today's photo we see a Local 12 Plumber using the Trimble Total Station to layout sleeve and bang-it locations before much floor activity begins.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving and we'll update you next week!

Day 198 - Take Two

Day 198 - Take Two, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

A couple weeks ago we shared an interesting photo of a professional photography crew documenting the work of the Cannistraro Service Group. Yesterday the crew was back at it again but this time on a Cambridge job site. We couldn't help but share one last behind-the-scenes look at "the making of" Cannistraro.

Day 197 - BIM and the Return on Innovation

Day 197 - BIM and the Return on Innovation, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last week AEC professionals from the Greater Boston area visited the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for the Architecture Boston Conference (ABx). Cannistraro has been represented at this conference in years past (when it was called Build Boston), but this year, Operations Manager Neil Johnson spoke as part of an fascinating panel of experts including folks from Tocci Building Co., and KlingStubbins. The panel discussed the how to measure BIM's success and how to identify a return on innovation.

Day 196 - Honoring Partners In Health

Day 196 - Honoring Partners In Health, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last night Cannistraro helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of Partners in Health, the non-governmental organization that spreads goodwill all over the world by providing healthcare services on a global level. As we've documented, Cannistraro helped PIH and Chairman of Shawmut Design & Construction Jim Ansara build the all new Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti. During the celebration we were struck by an amazing fact: the new teaching hospital in Mirebalais will be the first and largest solar-powered hospital in the undeveloped world. In today's photo we share a photo of a patient room (complete with prefabricated headwall units) to show just how far the project has come. Congratulations to Partners in Health for 25 years of achievements!

Day 195 - Waterside in the Seaport

Day 195 - Waterside in the Seaport, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

If you're in the Boston area and attending the ABx Conference at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) this week, you've probably driven by the job site in today's photo. This is the active jobsite of Waterside Place, a high-rise residential project going up in one of the city's hottest areas. Cannistraro is performing the Plumbing, HVAC and Fire Protection for Suffolk Construction on this exciting project.

Special thanks for the Marketing team at TRO Jung Brannen (the project's architecture firm) for this great photo!

Day 194 - Taking BIM for FM to New Heights

Day 194 - Taking BIM for FM to New Heights, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

This morning Cannistraro sponsored an outstanding educational session titled "Taking BIM for FM to New Heights" as part of the Boston BIM Collaborative Breakfast series. The session featured Boston College's Smart Building Working Group, which discussed the comprehensive BIM initiative being undertaken at the University's area campuses. The session was presented to a packed house at the Plumbing Museum in Watertown, MA adjacent to the Cannistraro Headquarters. Special thanks to BC's Lynn Berkley and her colleagues involved with the project for an informative presentation, and to all to those in attendance.

Day 193 - Plumbing 101 Training

Day 193 - Plumbing 101 Training, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

A new Cannistraro tradition was born over the weekend as the Plumbing Department held a Plumbing & Prefabrication 101 training course for co-ops, recent graduates and young professionals working at JCC. Estimators, Assistant Project Managers, Coordinators and Co-op Students gained first hand experience with the strategies, concepts and methods used by fabrication shop foreman and welders. This invaluable teaching experience will certainly be a new company tradition and is another example of Cannistraro's commitment to continuous training and education.

Day 192 - Our Own Veteran

Day 192 - Our Own Veteran, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In honor of Veteran's Day, we pay tribute to our own company founder: John Cannistraro, Sr. In the 1950s Mr. C was a commander in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Newport News. To this day, he credits his experiences in the Navy for helping him "convince himself that he had the ability to manage people and make the kind of decisions that a business owner must make." Today we give special thanks to Mr. C and all the U.S. veterans who bravely and honorably serve our country!

Day 191 - Shout out the Plumbing Museum

Day 191 - Shout out the Plumbing Museum, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Believe it or not, this January marks the 4th year that has passed since the Plumbing Museum moved to Watertown, adjacent to the corporate headquarters of J.C. Cannistraro. Each November, the official Board of Directors for this 501 (c)(3) museum organization gathers to discuss the year that was and the year to come. Considering that the Museum Board (including JCC President John Cannistraro, Jr.) descends upon Watertown tomorrow, we thought we'd share this group photo from 2010. If anyone is ever in town or at JCC headquarters for a project meeting and would like a brief tour, let us know and we'll point you in the right direction!

Day 190 - Welding & Prefabricating Hangers

Day 190 - Welding & Prefabricating Hangers, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Today we peer inside Cannistraro's Plumbing prefabrication shop where a welder puts the finishing touches on a set of pipe supports. As you can see in the photo, once each hanger is fully fabricated, it gets packaged with the others and shipped to the job site floor along with the associated piping assemblies just-in-time for installation.

Day 189 - VOTE!

Day 189 - VOTE!, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In honor of Election Day 2012, today we bring you something totally different. Today's post features a photo that doesn't specifically relate to the three trades performed by Cannistraro, but demonstrates the pride of our workers and all those who work in union construction. This photo was taken earlier this year at the Fan Pier site where the Vertex Pharmaceuticals campus is being built on Boston's Waterfront. Just before the flag was hoisted atop the job site, all trades signed their names to this steel support beam....a sign of camaraderie that is fitting for today's events!

Day 188 - Being Thankful and Giving Back

Day 188 - Being Thankful and Giving Back, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last Thursday Team Cannistraro (Cannistraro's fundraising and charitable events group) announced the start of its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. Our company is proud to stand behind this effort each and every November as our employees, friends and colleagues come together to help provide food to those in need locally. If you'd like to contribute this great initiative benefiting Grandma's Pantry, feel free to bring non-perishable food items to the Cannistraro corporate office in Watertown, MA any time before November 16th, 2012.

Day 187 - College Dormitory Bathrooms

Day 187 - College Dormitory Bathrooms, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last week we shared a photo from inside Cannistraro's prefabrication facility out in Deerfield, MA that serves much of the work being performed at UMASS Amherst. Today we share a post from one of those projects, the Honors Program Dormitories/Residences, where Cannistraro is installing the Plumbing Infrastructure. In today's photo we get an up close look as one final connection is made in the installation of a prefabricate toilet battery into a future dormitory bathroom.

Day 186 - A Cloud of BIM, IPD and Other Buzz Words

Day 186 - A Cloud of BIM, IPD and Other Buzz Words, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Today we unveil the cover to the latest issue of Cannistraro's Shop Talk Newsletter. The Fall/Winter 2012 edition officially publishes on Monday, but our readers and blog subscribers get the first look at the cover story. You'll have to wait until next week to find out why BIM, IPD, and Lean Construction are not fads in the AEC industry.

Day 185 - Data Center Fire Protection

Day 185 - Data Center Fire Protection, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Today's photo shows a Cannistraro sprinklerfitter on-site at the Springfield Data Center project in Western Massachusetts where our team is installing a Vortex system. This mist-based Fire Protection system actually uses minimal amounts of water and instead uses 3,000 psi of nitrogen.

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween!

Day 184 - Ready for Our Closeup

Day 184 - Ready for Our Closeup, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In today's Post-Hurricane Sandy photo, we share an inside look at a photo shoot going on at the Cannistraro headquarters in Watertown, MA. As the tropical stormy skies began to dissipate Cannistraro called upon Boston's own Elevin Studios to take some high-quality professional photos of our Service Group. Stay tuned for more of the finished product in the weeks to come.

Day 183 - The Era of Collaboration

Day 183 - The Era of Collaboration, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

JCC President John Cannistraro, Jr. has dubbed the current decade the "Era of Collaboration" in the construction industry. Today we share a great photo of a truly collaborative meeting from a recent Design-Build project meeting here at the Cannistraro Corporate Headquarters. Seated at the table together were specialty contractors, construction managers, engineers and architects.

Day 182 - Renovated Boiler Plant in Danvers

Day 182 - Renovated Boiler Plant in Danvers, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

For today's post we take a trip to the Hogan Regional Center in Danvers, (part of the two-site Energy Upgrade project for DCAM) to look at the fully-installed boiler plant. Today's photo shows the boilers and steam piping located in Building 4's mechanical plant. The upgraded mechanical room consists of 3 new boilers, 2 split case pumps, a deaerator, and variable frequency drives.

Day 181 - Fit out for Fan Pier's Vertex

Day 181 - Fit out for Fan Pier's Vertex, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

As we've documented, the core and shell HVAC and Fire Protection installations performed by the Cannistraro team has moved at a breakneck speed. Prefabrication and installation of the fit-out HVAC piping has since moved forward. In today's post, we share what some of this insulated and installed piping looks like on floors 1 and 2 of the new Vertex Pharmaceuticals facility.

Day 180 - BIM in 2013

Day 180 - BIM in 2013, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Yesterday the Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts hosted an interesting session called BIM in 2013: Lessons Learned from High Performing BIM Teams. The panel of distinguished experts included Cannistraro's VP of Service and Engineering Michael P. Cannistraro, P.E., as well as close industry colleagues from KlingStubbins and MassPort. So what is in store for BIM in 2013? Collaboration, BIM Execution Plans and more collaboration, just to name a few items.

Day 179 - Greetings from Western MA

Day 179 - Greetings from Western MA, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We begin this week with a photo sent in from the Cannistraro prefabrication facility located in Deerfield, MA. Much of the Plumbing assemblies and piping components prefabricated at this shop are being installed on the UMASS Amherst campus as part of either the new Science complex or Commonwealth Honors Residences projects. We'll share more from this location in the days and weeks to come.

Day 178 - Modeling a Residential High-Rise

Day 178 - Modeling a Residential High-Rise, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Earlier this week we discussed how the Boston construction market is seeing a boom in the multifamily residential market sector. We came across an old advertisement that we ran about a year or two before the the "Great Recession," just as the luxury residential complex was being built at 45 Province Street. Much of the industry was still getting to know BIM, but Cannistraro's 3D Coordination efforts were in full swing.

Day 177 - Building Congress Leadership

Day 177 - Building Congress Leadership, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last evening the 2012 Hall of Fame Awards Gala was hosted by the Massachusetts Building Congress in Boston's Waterfront District. John Cannistraro, Jr., Past President of the association and President of JCC, addressed the group and was honored for his service and leadership over the past year. A Hall of Fame Contractor ourselves, Cannistraro was extremely proud to nominate and support Darmody, Merlino & Co. as a new inductee to this prestigious organization's Hall of Fame.

Day 176 - Multifamily Expansion in Greater Boston

Day 176 - Multifamily Expansion in Greater Boston, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In addition to the growth being seen in Boston's Innovation District, another area of growth has emerged: Multifamily Residences. A new multifamily boom has hit Boston and its surrounding cities with projects like the Charlesview Apts. in Cambridge, Watermark II in Cambridge, Waterside Place in Boston, and Assembly Row in Somerville...just to name a few. In today's post we flashback to a major residential project that Cannistraro completed in the past; the Metropolitan Parcel C Project for Suffolk Construction. We'll keep you posted as to the progress of these new multifamily residences as time goes on.

Day 175 - From the Model to the Shop Floor

Day 175 - From the Model to the Shop Floor, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Anyone who has sat in on a Cannistraro BIM or Prefabrication process presentation might be familiar with the image from today's post. In accordance with the comprehensive Cannistraro QA/QC procedures, this piping assembly reached the fab shop floor after the manufacturing data was spooled directly to the automatic welding machines from the BIM.

Day 174 - In Good Company

Day 174 - In Good Company, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We are glad start this October week with some good news! Last week Engineering News Record (ENR) Magazine announced its 2012 Top 600 List of Specialty Contractors! Cannistraro is once again on the list; this year ranked nationally at #184. When broken down to strictly mechanical contractors, Cannistraro is proud to be in the country's list of Top 50 mechanical construction firms, coming in at # 36! More about this announcement can be found at our website: http://www.cannistraro.com.

Day 173 - View from the Ground in Mirebalais

Day 173 - View from the Ground in Mirebalais, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

It has been a while since we updated you on the Mirebalais Project in Haiti. Much of Cannistraro's engineering, prefabrication and installation work has been completed to this point. From time to time however, Cannistraro Plumbers travel down to Haiti to provide on-the-ground training to Haitian workers, and to help with any new progress in terms of plumbing and medical gas services. Today's photo was taken by one such Plumber on a Septemer 2012 trip to the Mirebalais hospital site.

Day 172 - FP for FP

Day 172 - FP for FP, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

For today's post we take you back inside the Cannistraro Fire Protection shop for another insider's view of the fabrication process. The next stop for the sprinkler pipe being welded in this photo is the Vertex Pharmaceuticals project on Boston's Fan Pier.

Day 171 - What are we up to?

Day 171 - What are we up to?, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

If you subscribe to the weekly BISNOW email for the latest news from the commercial real estate and building industries, you may have noticed a Cannistraro Service Group ad last week. We share the ad with you today and invite you to find out what we're up to! bit.ly/RDKbLo

Day 170 - BIMForum Sponsors

Day 170 - BIMForum Sponsors, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We follow up the Columbus Day holiday with a shout out to the BIM Forum being held this week in Tacoma, Washington. Cannistraro is sponsoring this national summit for the movers and shakers of BIM, which is scheduled to cover the popular topic of BIM for Facility Management. Today's post is from Michael Cannistraro's presentation at the BIMForum in Chicago back 2011.

Day 169 - Fab Fixtures

Day 169 - Fab Fixtures, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

As a follow up to yesterday's post, we round out the week with a photo of the gentleman who plays an important role in the Cannistraro manufacturing process: The Prefabrication Manager. The Prefab Manager oversees the manufacturing process for his individual trade and works closely with project coordinators/detailers as well as outside the superintendent and foremen out in the field.

Day 168 - Detail & Quality

Day 168 - Detail & Quality, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Today's post shows the detail and quality of Cannistraro piping assemblies. The end result of BIM-enabled manufacturing, this particular Plumbing assembly was featured in many of Cannistraro's brochures, proposals and other promotional materials back in 2006 and 2007.