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.