Volume 2, Issue 5
June 2008
Special points:
Delta Project Awarded to Burns and Roe
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urns and Roe Enterprises, Inc. was recently awarded a contract by Conectiv Energy to provide professional engineering services for the Delta Combined Cycle Power Project. The 545-megawatt facility located near Delta, Pennsylvania, is dual-fueled capable of operating on either natural gas or ultralow sulfur distillate. The plant will be able to provide enough electricity to power 545,000 homes. The Combined Cycle Power Plant will feature three Siemens V84.2 combustion turbines and an Alstom steam turbinegenerator. Burns and Roe’s scope of work for the detailed engineering design includes the design of balance of plant (BOP) auxiliaries and a control building. The project is expected to be complete by June 2011. “Burns and Roe is proud to be part of this important project,” stated Bob Milhiser, Senior Vice President for the Power Division of Burns and Roe. “Being a leader in the engineering and design of combined cycle plants, we look forward to a very successful project with Conectiv Energy.”
Check out the
winners of the Burns and Roe Hawaiian Shirt Contest on page 11
Inside this issue: Project Awarded to Burns and Roe
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My Trip to Taiwan
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The Spirit of Taekwondo
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American Cancer Society’s GW Challenge
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Indoor Rock Climbing
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Burns and Roe Softball Team in Action
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Aetna Fitness
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Burns and Roe Collection Picture of the Month
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Burns and Roe Hawaiian Shirt Contest Results
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Drink of the Month
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Volume 2, Issue 5 Conectiv Energy is a competitive wholesale subsidiary wholly owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. Conectiv Energy manages a portfolio of wholesale energy assets including 4100 MW of environmentally friendly, highly flexible power plants, located in five states within the PJM Interconnection power pool. Conectiv Energy applies the expertise of an in-house wholesale merchant asset management team to optimize the value of its energy portfolio. The project has been assigned to the Mount Laurel office. Mike DiMercurio is the Project Manager
My Trip to Taiwan
Hello all and greetings from Taipei, Taiwan.
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he Burns and Roe Construction Division, represented by Messrs. Zac Zimmerman and Peter McMillin, had the opportunity to travel to Taiwan to help our partners, Taiwan Cogen Company (TCC), Formosa Heavy Industries, Sinotech, CTCI, Saudi Masader, ABB, Ansaldo, Al Khorayef Group, Fisia, and others, with a proposal to develop, finance, design, construct, operate, and maintain an 1100 MW power plant and a 1 million cubic meter (m3) (270 million gallon per day) potable water desalination
Peter McMillin Senior Construction Manager
plant in Saudi Arabia. While this effort was a lot of fun, time consuming, and educational, I also was able to get to know the lovely city of Taipei, the largest city in Taiwan, with a population of about 3 million. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt, right across the street from Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building, Taipei City Hall, and the Taiwan Convention Center. Taipei 101 is a 101-floor landmark skyscraper. The building is the world’s tallest completed skyscraper. It has been hailed as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World (Newsweek magazine, 2006) and Seven Wonders of Engineering (Discovery Channel, 2005). Taipei 101 was the first building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height. It was the first
Page 3 “world’s tallest building” to be constructed in the new millennium. Taipei 101 has 101 stories above ground and five underground. It was built with 380 5’ diameter piles, each 250’ long. Upon its completion, Taipei 101 claimed the official records for: • Ground to highest architectural structure (spire): 509.2 meters (m) (1,670.60 ft). Previously held by the Petronas Towers 452 m (1,483 ft). • Ground to roof: 449.2 m (1,473.75 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower 442 m (1,450 ft). • Ground to highest occupied floor: 439.2 m (1,440.94 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower 412.4 m (1,353 ft). • Fastest ascending elevator speed: 16.83 m/s (55.22 ft/s) (60.6 km/hr, 37.7 mph). • Largest countdown clock: On display every New Year’s Eve. • World’s largest tuned mass damper: The 662 metric ton tuned mass damper reduces over 60% of the sway of the building.
Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors common in its area of the Asia-Pacific. Planners aimed for a structure that could withstand gale winds of 134 mi/hr and
Volume 2, Issue 5 the strongest earthquakes likely to occur in a 2,500 year cycle. These features combined with the solidity of its foundation to make Taipei 101 one of the most stable buildings ever constructed. Having ridden the elevator, I can assure you it is very fast. The view there would have been much nicer if it had been clear. The sky was brown and smoggy every day I was there except when it was grey and raining. I had dinner at Diamond Tony’s Italian Restaurant on the 85th floor of the building. While the food was good, the view from the restroom was amazing. I would have never imagined the highlight of the evening was the urinal in front of a glass wall overlooking the city. I also happened to be here when the national election took place, with the opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), winning in a landslide. They ran on the position of closer ties to mainland China and a strong, independent economy. The celebrations were numerous!! During one of our days in Taipei, I was walking around downtown, and I had a chance to visit the memorial to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the father of Nationalist China. The building and grounds are monstrous from the ground but you really get a feel for the size of the facility when you see it from the top of Taipei 101. As imposing as the size is, the most memorable part of the tour to me were the Honor Guard soldiers standing inside the entrance, “guarding” the statue of the Doctor. The soldiers looked like statues themselves. Dr. Sun YatSen founded the KMT, which was the only political
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party allowed in Taiwan for many years. I have never seen so many scooters, but I bet I saw fewer than a dozen motorcycles. The scooters line up at lights 10 across and 5-10 deep. The light changes and it is like the start of a race as they head to the next red light. Taxi is the only way to get around. Cheap, about $6 to get from downtown to where I worked. But the taxi drivers here make me look like I drive like a little old lady! During the day, I worked with our partners at TCC. They placed me near the window with the water flowing in my direction, which they indicated is for good luck. The views were phenomenal. There is a huge park across the river from me. The flood walls that are set up show just how high the river can get - over 30’ higher than the existing river elevation. The river elevation fluctuates due to the tidal influence. Sadly, the air quality is not what I would have liked it to be, but, while I was there, I met a director from Microsoft who had just gotten back from a week in Beijing. He indicated Taipei compared to Beijing is like the top of a mountain on the clearest day vs. a bad day in Los Angeles. The people are very friendly, many speak English, and they all made my trip very comfortable.
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The Spirit of Taekwondo
Tess Konya Mechanical Designer
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essie Konya was exploring the different sport options to involve her son in. She had him try T-ball, soccer, and ice hockey, but none of these sports seemed to be a good fit. A birthday party brought them to Master Cho’s Talium Taekwondo studio in Cedar Grove. Feeling the positive energy and seeing the structure and the discipline of the class, she thought that this would be a good experience for her son. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Tessie joined the studio after trying a class for herself. She had rowed crew and paddled outrigger canoe competitively for twenty years before trying this new sport, but the early morning water workouts were becoming increasingly
difficult to maintain with her work schedule. The flexible evening classes at Talium made taekwondo an appealing alternative. It was just three years ago that Tessie and her son, Andrew, first became hooked on taekwondo. On May 10, 2008, they both tested for their black belts. To prepare for this grueling test of strength and perseverance, they each had to carry around a raw egg for ten days. It was a lesson in responsibility, especially for the children. Then, three days before the test, they had to fast. The children did a modified fast, but the adults had to do a full fast, drinking only water until after the completion of the test. Breakfast three days prior was Tessie’s last meal. Samuel, the
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chef at Tristan’s Café, prepared a special breakfast for her last meal. The meal helped sustain her for most of the day, but the second and third day of fasting were quite a challenge. People may have noticed Tessie walking the halls like a zombie during those three days. The test began at 8:30 am on May 10th. A brief warm-up and stretching led into some sparring. The students went through their entire curriculum, including forms, self-defense, and kicking combinations. Tessie had had most of the people in her office sign her breaking boards for good luck. For the final part of the test, she broke her boards with a spinning hook kick and a jumping front snap kick. However, breaking a concrete block proved to be another matter altogether. Although Tessie was not able to break the concrete block, she was very proud that her son did. Now was the moment they had all worked so hard for - the tea ceremony where they received their black belts. With the culmination of all their years of hard work, the ceremony was very emotional. “Physically, this is the hardest thing that I’ve had to do in my life. Even harder than a seven-hour canoe race. It was worth every minute though,” says Tessie. Tessie was now looking forward to celebrating with family and friends, and finally eating again. However, after not eating for a few days, it took some time for her appetite to return. When she was finally able to eat again, she more than made up for 75 hours without food. If you would like to see what it’s all about or give a class a try, Talium has five locations in Northern New Jersey. For more information, visit Talium4u.com or call 973-239-7654.
American Cancer Society’s GW Challenge David Foo Project Controls Engineer
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n June 8, I will be biking the American Cancer Society’s George Washington Challenge for the 21st time. Thanks to all of you for your past support, and I am reaching out to you again for your support for this year’s event. The George Washington Challenge is a 100K (63 mile) bikathon that starts at the George Washington Bridge. The route follows along the Hudson River, heading north past Nyack, NY, then it loops back and ends in Fort Lee, NJ. Cancer has no shame and it touches the lives of adults and children without any remorse. I am asking you to please pledge any amount to join the fight against cancer. Funds raised through this event will help support the American Cancer Society’s research, education, advocacy, and service programs. The donations are tax-deductible, and checks should be made out to “American Cancer Society.” Thanks again for all of your support!!
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Indoor Rock Climbing – A Sport that Challenges Your Body and Your Mind Jenny He Mechanical Engineer ne of the first physical activities early human beings learned was climbing. Early humans needed to climb mountains to find food to add calories for survival; now people climb to sweat for wellness by burning calories. Rock climbing is a fast-growing sport for all ages and for both men and women. It is a full-body workout that helps you develop dynamic muscle strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and mental and physical focus. Other important benefits of rock climbing are the joy and challenge it brings you.
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About 10 minutes driving distance from our Oradell office, there is the largest indoor rock climbing gym in New Jersey – The Gravity Vault. It is located at 107 Pleasant Avenue at Route 17 North in Upper Saddle River (approximately 6 miles north of the Oradell Ave./ Ridgewood Ave. exit). Their 35foot tall walls are professionally designed and engineered. The 13,000 ft2 climbing site offers arêtes (simulated sharp, rugged mountain ridges), overhangs, arches, slabs, two 14-foot boulders, and training holds that help you to improve your strength.
Rock climbing helps to improve problem-solving skills; and it is a team sport where you and your friends and coworkers can enjoy a fun time working out together. I visited the Gravity Vault rock gym twice with coworkers and I had a great time climbing, sweating, screaming, and laughing. As a beginner, I received a lot of help from more experienced climbers, such as Felix, Scott, and Anthony, who had been a member of the rock gym. Efficient climbing requires strength as well as good technique. Classes are offered by the gym to help you climb more accurately and efficiently. It is recommended to climb in an X shape with your hips being the middle of the X; your skeleton can hold much more of a load than your muscles can. Scott said, “Hip swings help gain balance while moving the center of body mass to avoid fatigue”. Some holds are smaller and more difficult to hang onto; these could be your intermediate holds that help you reach a more secure hold. If you get a calf muscle spasm, it does not necessarily mean you are afraid of height; it could be that your heel is
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hanging too far down. To stop it, you can simply apply more weight to your toes. One of the biggest lessons I learned in climbing was to use my legs more often than my arms. Apes and gorillas can hang by their arms all day; but humans can’t. However, we can stand on our feet all day. So use your legs more to support your weight during climbing in order to conserve energy. Last but not least, while you are having fun climbing, safety is very important. The knots in the rope you made, the climbing gear and accessories, and the communication between you and the belayer on your team (the individual who controls the rope being fed out to the climber) all play a role in safety. Stretching and warming up before climbing can help you prevent injuries. Rock climbing is a fun challenge between mind and body – about how much you think and how much in reality your body can handle. You will be proud and rewarded with joy when your body surprises your mind with how much your body can really take!
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Burns and Roe Softball Team in Action
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Aetna FitnessSM discount program even more affordable this month By Erin Steiginga
Summer is here - what a great time to get started on a healthier you! Get fit and save with preferred* membership rates at nearly 10,000 fitness clubs nationwide through Aetna’s fitness program, with services provided by GlobalFitTM. Join during the month June and take advantage of a special promotion. Pay only $19 for the Commit membership one-time activation fee. That’s a $40 savings! Just use code FIT0508 during enrollment. You can also take advantage of discounts on home fitness equipment, exercise videos and more! It’s easy to enroll! Just log on toAetna Navigator or call GlobalFit toll free at 1-800298-7800 to get started today!
Burns and Roe Collection Picture of the Month Charlie Williams and His Ties
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Hawaiian Shirt Contest Results
The Contestants
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Drink of the Month
by Ivan Yung
Mechanical Engineer
800 Kinderkamack Road Burns and Roe Oradell, NJw 07649 ww .roe.com
Opal Cocktail
www.roe.com Editorial Committee
2 oz gin ½ oz triple sec 1 oz orange juice ½ tsp superfine sugar
Inor Baraka Jeannie Chan Bill Fish Roya Ghazizadeh John Giannone Scott Greenberg Jenny He Jeff Koestner Erin Steiginga Abraham Mohammad Bob Nilan Nathan Obermiller Daniel Ramirez Gennadiy Sverzhinskiy Jesse Urban Ivan Yung
Mix in a shaker with ice. Serve in a chilled martini glass. http://www.cocktailtimes.com
JUNE 2008 - CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE
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E xplore a new online toolkit Parenting as a Team
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Read A rticle - W ork at H ome Strategies for Parents
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Read A rticle – Dealing with Cultural D ifferences as Parents
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