Day 45 - Making Safety a Priority

Day 45 - Making Safety a Priority, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

From both a preconstruction and construction standpoint, there is a lot to consider when planning and delivering a hospital project. Many times, as was the case at the Caritas Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, MA, the project directly affects or interacts with an active, working hospital. This project team, addressed health and safety concerns on this complex project by conducting hazard vulnerability analyses and implementing interim life safety measures and infection control risk assessment programs.

Day 44 - Inside a Modular Mechanical Room

Day 44 - Inside a Modular Mechanical Room, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Earlier this month we shared a great shot of a modular HVAC penthouse being hoisted to the rooftop of Boston's Historic Ames Building. The above photo takes you inside such a modular mechanical room to show some of the piping and equipment that is coordinated, prefabricated and assembled off-site. Advancements in prefabrication are taking modular construction to new heights. This type of innovation will undoubtedly be used more in the coming months and years.

Day 43 - Collaboration at its Finest

Day 43 - Collaboration at its Finest, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

We often talk about the importance of early collaboration on construction projects, and this photo is proof that Cannistraro practices what we preach. The above photo shows a Project Manager, a Coordinator and a Field Foreman collaborating during preconstruction to ensure that every detail is taken into consideration. On this particular project, the team pre-planned the exact path that each piece of equipment would take on the mechanical room floor during the rigging process.

Day 42 - PM Recognizes BIM Expertise

Day 42 - PM Recognizes BIM Expertise, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

You might recognize the photo/model comparison shown above. It appears in this month's issue of PM (Plumbing & Mechanical ) Magazine, along with a series of quotes from our own Michael Cannistraro, P.E., and other big name players in the mechanical construction industry. This month's cover story is titled "Mechanical contractors increase productivity with BIM."

Day 41 - Loading Prefabricated Assemblies

Day 41 - Loading Prefabricated Assemblies, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last week we focused on one of Boston's biggest, most complex projects in recent years. On one of those beautiful, 70-degree days of last week we took a trip up to the Cannistraro HVAC fab shop to take a peek at the prefabrication going on for Boston's next big project: Fan Pier. Here is on prefabricated assembly being loaded onto a truck.

Day 40 - A Complex Installation

Day 40 - A Complex Installation, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The intriguing photo seen above is a great way to end the week, and to showcase the complexity of the 5th floor mechanical room at MGH's Lunder Building. What was once called the "Building for the Third Century" is now part of Cannistraro's portfolio of high-profile projects, and is one of the city's greatest construction achievements in recent years!

Day 39 - BIM at its Best

Day 39 - BIM at its Best, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The project team for the MGH Lunder Building included some of the most BIM-savvy companies in the Boston area. BIM was utilized for everything from prefabrication of the hundreds of piping assemblies, to the scheduling of all equipment and deliveries to the job site. The screen shot of a 3D model shown above not only depicts the level of detail included in the model, but also the floor space that was included to help plan for a future chiller installation on the building's 5th floor mechanical room.

Day 38 - Supersized Mechanical Equipment

Day 38 - Supersized Mechanical Equipment, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The size of the mechanical room at the MGH Lunder Building, as well as its equipment, added to the intricacy of scheduling this project. Remember the AHU passing through the entry portal in yesterday's photo? Today's photo shows one unit in its rightful place within the 40,000 sf 5th floor mechanical room.

Day 37 - Planning, Scheduling & Rigging

Day 37 - Planning, Scheduling & Rigging, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Part of the HVAC scope of the MGH Lunder Building included installation of large air handling units, each the size of a tractor-trailer. A team of Cannistraro coordinators, project managers, and foreman designated many hours to planning and scheduling during preconstruction. The above photo shows one such unit being delivered to the project site through the "portal," a single entry point for all rigging and deliveries.

Day 36 - A Look at the Lunder Building

Day 36 - A Look at the Lunder Building, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Cannistraro has a long, successful history of working with Partners Healthcare and Turner Construction. When Mass. General Hospital was looking to build a new, 530,000 sf, 13-story building, Cannistraro was more than up to the task. Over the course of this week we will highlight a few of the interesting aspects of this world-class hospital facility that is now open for business.

Day 35 - At the Center of Building Operations

Day 35 - At the Center of Building Operations, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

In 2010, Cannistraro developed Nucleus6D, a database service that provides fast, easy access to the data and resources Facility Managers use to operate and maintain buildings... with the added benefit of BIM. Using Nucleus6D, O&M data is accessible directly through the model, yet the user needs no 3D modeling experience. The above photo shows one service technician accessing O&M information about a pump in a laboratory mechanical room.

Day 34 - Point Cloud Integration

Day 34 - Point Cloud Integration, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

On renovation or expansion projects at existing facilities, 3D models may not exist. In many instances, project teams will utilize laser scanning services to capture thousands of points of reference that help determine distances, dimensions and clearances without the need for field measurements. On a recent project at Wentworth Institute of Technology, the Cannistraro team was trained in the newest technology that integrates point cloud data with building information models.

Day 33 - Precision Welding

Day 33 - Precision Welding, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

This week's focus on construction technology would not be complete without showcasing Cannistraro's state-of-the-art welding capabilities. This orbital welding machine has the capability for dual shield flux core automatic welding, and produces x-ray quality weld joints. Cannistraro's prefabrication facility has the capacity to weld pipes anywhere from 0.5" to 60" in diameter.

See this machine in action in Cannistraro's prefabrication video!

Day 32 - Using the Total Station

Day 32 - Using the Total Station, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Total Station technology has helped Cannistraro improve efficiency on the job site in terms of sleeve and hanger installations. Field personnel move around open floors and lay out points using a wireless controller that communicates with a 360-degree prism that is mounted on site, and works like a GPS.

Day 31 - Zooming in on Construction Technology

Day 31 - Zooming in on Construction Technology, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Last week you may have read our article in Constructech Magazine titled "Scheduling the Use of Technology: When it comes to software, it's all about getting in early." As a follow-up, this week we will take a closer look at some of the tools we use to help us perform to the best of our abilities. We start with the Total Station technology being used by field personnel in all trades. More on this technology tomorrow...

Day 30 - The Importance of Plumbing & Sanitation

Day 30 - The Importance of Plumbing & Sanitation, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

This Sunday (March 11th) is World Plumbing Day; a day when many people across the globe advocate for clean water and sanitation technology. In reflecting upon this day, we can't help but be proud to be partnering with an organization like Partners In Health on the Mirebalais Hospital project. Today's photo was taken by John Cannistraro, Jr. on a previous trip to Haiti. The green and white container is a cistern that PIH implemented after the 2010 earthquake to provide clean drinking water to Haitian citizens. Thank you Partners in Health for all that you do!

Day 29 - Somewhere Over the Airport

Day 29 - Somewhere Over the Airport, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The weather in New England today reminds us that spring is right around the corner. The colorful, spring-like photo shown above was snapped during a fire protection test of the deluge system at Boston's Logan Airport. Cannistraro has vast experience designing and installing deluge systems to protect buildings and facilities from fires.

Day 28 - Hoisting Prefabricated Assemblies

Day 28 - Hoisting Prefabricated Assemblies, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

The key to a lean approach is to eliminate waste within a process. Using prefabrication and just-in-time delivery minimizes the need for on-site stick welding and eliminates the piles of pipes that traditionally occupy space on the job site floor. This prefabricated assembly for 640 Memorial Drive's chilled water return system arrived from Cannistraro's fab shop, was hoisted into the building, and installed the same day.

Day 27 - A Clear Day on Memorial Dr.

Day 27 - A Clear Day on Memorial Dr., a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Whether you're going out of the city towards Cambridge or heading into Boston via the Mass. Pike, it's hard to miss the long, brick building located at 640 Memorial Drive. The building's rooftop units alone are an impressive sight from the nearby I-90 overpass. Cannistraro performed the HVAC infrastructure for the core and shell renovation of this laboratory facility...but did you know that this building was formerly a manufacturing site for the Ford Motor Company?

Day 26 - Attention to Detail

Day 26 - Attention to Detail, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

One of the signature characteristics of a Cannistraro project is the attention to detail demonstrated by the project team. If any image could depict attention to detail in a single snapshot, the above picture does just that. The delivery and rigging of these chillers was not only time-sensitive, but also very complicated due to the entry portal, the ceiling height and the overall layout of the basement.

Day 25 - Innovation Meets History

Day 25 - Innovation Meets History, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Boston's first skyscraper is now home to some of the city's finest dining and accommodations. When the historic Ames Building was slated to be renovated and turned into a luxury hotel, the project team of Tishman Construction, WSP Flack+Kurtz and C7A turned to Cannistraro to participate in the design-assist process. In the end, Cannistraro moved the building's mechanical room to the roof by custom building a modular HVAC penthouse that freed up vital back-of-the-house space in the basement of the building.

Day 24 - To Benefit the Artists

Day 24 - To Benefit the Artists, a photo by JC Cannistraro on Flickr.

Today's post has nothing to do with the latest Best Picture winner from the Academy Awards, but rather the Artists for Humanity out of South Boston. Last evening John Cannistraro, Jr. hosted a Leap Day open house to showcase the creative work being done by Boston-area students and their mentors at AFH Boston. More than 50 guests, including many of the area's top construction professionals, visited the museum and admired the work of a talented bunch!