HIGHLIGHTS P3 Of Amazonian proportions P4 This is completely fab P5 Faces of success VOLUME 3 | QTR 3 | 2015
The right plan for a tight fit :+: BY CHRIS GRIFFITHS
Chase Bank, Mechanical Retrofit Vancouver, Washington Our Challenges: If we wanted easy, we wouldn’t be MacDonald-Miller. The issues for this project were mainly twofold: the only way in and out of the mechanical room was through a pair of double doors and out through a stairwell to the parking lot; and the new outside air ductwork had to be installed in a very tight 3-story tower. Our Innovation: Thinking beyond the typical, our team worked with our vendors to create a viable, highly efficient game plan. The idea was to ship the new air handler in pieces – we would completely disassemble the sections
OWNER | Chase Bank/CBRE
in our shop and crane the pallets down in through the double doors to be completely re-built in place of the existing air handler. The team also developed an approach to effectively and safely install the new large outside air ductwork through the tower shaft. These were major challenges solved by masterful creativity!
THE FACTS
Complete retrofit of large mechanical room which included new 26,000 cfm multi-zone air handler, controls, chilled, well & hot water piping, and ductwork modifications
Other noteworthy items: MacMiller dedicated significant time helping the customer with their Building Performance Analysis and with Clark County to obtain utility incentives for this project. We also planned and scheduled all of the ductwork modifications in their training rooms, fostering an utterly seamless process.
SHOUT OUT!
GENERAL CONTRACTOR | Lee-Built
ENGINEER | Communications Engineering Consultants
TO RUBEN CANAS & TEAM “A big shout-out to Ruben Canas and his healthcare team who worked on the Virginia Mason project. VMMC Jones Pavilion Level 3 Surgical Services Suite project has been selected as the WINNER for this year’s AGC Build Washington Awards in the category of TI Projects Over $5 Million. Congratulations to the VM team for their outstanding work!” Anna Dinh Turner Construction
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Gus Simonds President
Earning efficiency honors MacDonald-Miller is honored to be named a recipient of the 2014 Energy Efficiency Leader Award for our outstanding performance in helping commercial customers save electricity and natural gas through the replacement of inefficient equipment. “PSE’s trade partners are integral to the success of our energy efficiency programs,” said Bob Stolarski, director of PSE’s Energy Efficiency department. “It’s an honor to recognize these contractors for their commitment to helping customers make safe, dependable and efficient energy choices for their businesses while lowering their energy bills.”
We secured rebates for 17 projects last year. The energy savings combined are equal to one of the following:
Last quarter we made some important moves in our management structure here at MacMiller… First, we promoted Rory Olsen to Service Operations Manager. This is a big job that focuses on the execution, logistics, and quality delivery of our service work. Over 120 mobile technicians, along with support from service coordination and contract management, make up Rory’s new responsibilities.
32 passenger vehicles
Annual CO2 emissions from 20.9 homes’ electricity usage per year Equivalent to planting 125
acres of forest
Source: EPA Clean Energy Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
Annual greenhouse gas emissions from
Secondly, we promoted Everett Walker to General Manager of our Oregon Operations. This new position is a reflection of the continuing growth in our Oregon Offices, now staffed with 66 employees. Finally, I am excited to welcome our first CIO, (Chief Information Officer) Bradd Busick. A valuable addition, Bradd will lead our already talented IT team here at MacMiller. Bradd’s expertise is applying technology as a key value enhancement to the products and services we deliver to our customers. As technology is ever changing, our IT Department is more prepared than ever to leverage those opportunities. It’s truly as vibrant a time here at MacMiller as I can ever remember. We have a fantastic backlog of good work and our service team continues to perform heroic acts almost daily in this hot weather. Enjoy the summer and PLEASE be safe out there.
Heating up the knowledge Autoflame Boiler Plant Training Seminar We know that many of us here at MacDonald-Miller have customers on our roster that deal with boilers on a daily basis. This is why we created a unique, low cost training opportunity specifically for that type of equipment. MacMiller will be hosting our first Autoflame Product Training Seminar on September 16-17th in Portland, Oregon. This course will cover the complete Autoflame Combustion Management System, and will involve in-depth technical presentations and hands-on training. This knowledge will enable your customers to reduce costs in their boiler plant while making it cleaner, safer and more reliable. By automating control of the boiler plant with Autoflame touchscreen controllers and servomotors, customers recoup their investment in as little as 1-2 years just in fuel savings. And when you factor in the benefits of emission reduction, reliability and safety, the upgrades become even more attractive. Please send customers interested in this seminar to this registration link: https://goo.gl/f2cOue
AMAZON COULD POTENTIALLY FILL 10 MILLION SQUARE FEET OF SEATTLE OFFICE SPACE.
Of Amazonian proportions :+: BY MEG LANDIES
OWNER | Amazon
GENERAL CONTRACTOR | Turner Construction
ENGINEER | MacDonald-Miller
Do you want to see this project be built before your eyes? Check out the LIVECAM: http://oxblue.com/open/vulcan/block45
The brand most synonymous with South Lake Union is, of course, Amazon. The growth of this company in the last few years is significant, and according to recent reports could potentially fill 10 million SF of Seattle office space. The project leading the way in the expansion is Block 45, and for this immense initiative MacDonald-Miller is playing an integral role with Turner Construction alongside Vulcan Development. A 12-story office building for Amazon, Block 45 comprises a total 311,000 SF of rentable space and four levels of parking with more than 400 spaces. The heart of the mechanical system is two large Energy Lab air handlers with remote condensers. The building is heated via electric heat in the VAV terminal units, and 24/7 loads are handled by a fluid cooler and a condenser water loop – as at least 10 tons of cooling per floor is required. A crucial aspect of this project is the commissary kitchen. This large commercial kitchen on level 1 will serve the needs of this building, as well the other two Amazon office projects that are adjacent to Block 45 (Block 44 and 52). In addition, there will also be a small café on level 2, positioning this building as the main hub for most employees. On the tenant improvement side, we are addressing Amazon’s need for an agile environment. The tenant build-out is primarily open flexible office space. This will be our first project with Turner to install the ICONIC’s dashboard increasing facility manager visibility for Block 45.
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This is completely fab :+: BY NICOLE MARTIN
FLY 100,000 SF prefabrication shop is ahead of the curve Our prefab shop continues to shine. “Utilizing the down time in the recent years we’ve been able to cross-train and streamline our processes. And this has prepared us for anything that comes our way,” says Martha Holly, Sheet Metal Shop Floor Foreman. The success of our multi-trade racks at both Virginia Mason and at UW Medical Center (UWMC) has strongly validated this innovation. “Our teams learned a lot in the hospital environment. We had to be very cognizant of the tight time restraints and the noise issues because of the affect they can have on patient care,” noted Curtiss Bushaw, Sheet Metal Shop Foreman. These racks are safety and lean conscious, and part of our new standard system for this fabrication is the rail system we designed. One
could consider it an assembly line that anchors into the floor. “The trades are complementing each other tremendously. There’s a great sense of in-house coordination and it’s safer and easier for them to work here in the shop than on the site way up in the air,” says Curtiss. “We’re able to fabricate eight racks at a time, a huge time saver for the project owners.” Illustrating this impressive system was a recent project with Mortenson at UWMC, where we installed 76 racks, 4 at a time.
“It took three months of coordination but all we had to do to install was roll on to the site and pull them up,” explained Curtiss. Both the multi-trade racks and the rail system are being considered for our 8th and Howell project in Seattle and for the Lincoln Square Expansion in Bellevue. These projects will benefit quite a great deal from what we’ve learned from our experiences in the healthcare industry.
THEY'RE PRETTY When asked about our latest groundbreaking technology emerging from the shop, Martha Holly stated,“Company-wide at MacDonald-Miller we’re focusing on lean and thinking outside the box. Being innovative is second nature to us all now.” Our fly racks were engineered to beef up our delivery trailers, so instead of unloading the trailer on site and lifting it to the floor, we can save a step and get 2 to 4 packets of work lifted quicker by hoisting it all on the fly rack. The safety-tested and certified racks are also expected to be used for both the 8th and Howell and Lincoln Square Expansion projects. Our customers will benefit from our upgraded coil line machine. We also have a new spiral machine and new press break with laser safety. Larger breaks and long pieces of duct means there are less joints, and less chance for leakage, with the bonus of faster build time. In addition, our shop boasts two CAM stations for inputters, enabling us to process work packages and collaborate instantly with the detailers. And our field foremen can order directly to the shop input office with remote entry from their phone, laptop or computer.
FACeS OF SuCCeSS
It takes people from a wide range of professional skills to make MacDonald-Miller the industry leader that it is today. It’s the diverse personalities and backgrounds that seamlessly come together to create smart, successful project teams here at MacMiller. That’s why in this issue of Perspective we are taking the time to highlight four team members of MacMiller who’ve made invaluable contributions. It’s a way to give you a little more insight into those that proudly represent us, and a way to further illustrate how different individuals can make one team greatly successful.
DEDICATION
SUPPORT
COLLABORATION Curtiss Bushaw
Dan Kraemer
Bill Dixon
SHEET METAL SHOP FOREMAN
PLUMBING FAB SHOP FOREMAN
FITTING FAB SHOP FOREMAN
Years with MacMiller: In my 38 years in the industry, MacMiller has been the best company I have worked for, and that’s why I’ve been here 24 years.
Years with MacMiller: 5 years
Years with MacMiller: In September, I will have worked 15 years at MacMiller. And, I’ve been a United Association member since 1981.
This sticks out in my mind: I remember the tight schedule MacMiller had with the Microsoft project. I knew the sheet metal shop could fabricate a lot of product per day, but this job really showcased our ability. Tons of coordination within MacMiller and the collaboration of highly skilled people in the shop made this job successful. I come from quite a clan: I’m the youngest of 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls). My wife and I live in Sunland on the Columbia River, and our two children each have their own place in Tri-Cities. Boating, jet skiing, camping, and travel are some of the things my wife and I truly enjoy doing.
The most exciting thing about working in the Plumbing Fab Shop is how far we have come in such a short period of time. I was hired 5 years ago to start-up and run the plumbing shop, and with the support of management and the field embracing prefabrication, MacMiller has become the leader in plumbing prefabrication. It will be exciting to see what other great things we’ll accomplish 5 years from now! Love to rough it: I like to spend my free time at my cabin in eastern Washington. I stay busy hunting, fishing, and hiking all the trails and logging roads. When hunting season is closed, I dedicate a lot of time to wildlife photography. It’s a great way to stay in shape and explore different areas and animals all year long.
What I value most about the team I work with: Supervision and Management have been excellent at providing us with the tools necessary to keep on tight schedules. It demonstrates their dedication to continually improving production. But what really keeps us rolling is our Pipe Shop crew and the superior work they perform day in and day out. These men and women never cease to amaze me by how quickly and efficiently they get things done. I’m proud of every single one of them. My co-workers may not know... that my wife of 28 years and I have three PERFECT children. In a few years, we plan on retiring to our place in central Idaho – with the goal of never having to drive the I-5 rush hour again.
TEAMWORK
Martha Holly SHEET METAL SHOP FLOOR MANAGER Years with MacMiller: I just celebrated 12 years here at MacMiller, and not only have I learned so much, it’s truly been an enjoyable experience. TEAMWORK RULES! What I value most about the teams I work with is their commitment to quality and accuracy. We have some of the most talented sheet metal workers in the industry, and they can fabricate anything from the high bays
used at Microsoft, to the welded copper pans for the UWMC project. And the delivery department has a crew of drivers with vast delivery experiences who are dedicated to consistently being on time. I couldn’t ask for a better crew to work side-by-side with. I DO! I recently got married and now I have a 9-year-old stepson and a 11-year-old grandson. Life sure can surprise you!
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:+: BY JOSH MITCHELL At 4:55 AM I made my last step onto the summit of Mt. Hood. I immediately glanced to the West toward the Nike campus knowing our crews would just be arriving at the jobsite to replace 15 Rooftop Units. Typically I would stick close to home on such a day, but I knew the project was in good hands. Up to this point our team participated, unsuccessfully, in 2 other RFP’s for Nike to replace RTU’s. Yet, thanks to our diligence and persistence, we were eventually contracted for 2 buildings on this 3rd RFP. The opportunity to prove ourselves had arrived. Replacing 15 units in one single mobilization is ambitious to say the least, but we knew we were up to the task. Our confidence was due in large part to the fact that a month ago we had replaced 27 units in 3 days, and that Tom Mitchell (Sheet Metal Supervisor), Jason Steach (Pipefitting Supervisor) and the crew were totally dialed in. They had the process down to a science. I glanced down at my phone on my descent around 7 AM – no phone calls. However, I had an email. I opened my mailbox to find a video of the first crane pick sent from Kristen Walters who documented the day. Things were humming along, which didn‘t surprise me.
TASK REPLACE 15 ROOFTOP UNITS IN ONE MOBILIZATION
From one peak to another
As the weekend went on, I heard stories about how the other subs were mesmerized by our orchestration. We’re pretty sure that they doubted – quite strongly – that we could deliver on our statement that we’d have the entire building complete with the heat turned on by Monday morning. The controls contractor admitted that he’d never seen anything like it. As it turned out, I received no phone calls that weekend. No hiccups, just solid work flow from solid planning. Two weeks later we replaced 5 large units at another building with the same results. We can be proud that this generation of MacMiller crews is carrying on our heritage of excellence and challenging what was previously thought impossible.
Kudos, Team Oregon, we’re proud of you!
BIM goes BIG :+: BY JASON SCHAAT
The Lincoln Square Expansion is a substantial BIM project for MacDonald-Miller due to its uniquely demanding deliverable: design the project in REVIT, at the highest level of detail LOD-500, while supporting our goals of fabrication and estimating from the same model. Completing the project in Revit (3D modeling software) indeed presented some challenges, yet our highly competent, organized team has adeptly come through. “This is one of the largest projects in the country in terms of file size, with management demands to match,” said Doug Turley, Executive VP of Engineering. “We essentially converted the REVIT model for our needs – estimating, detailing, and construction – in parallel with the design team’s needs.” It’s BIG. This project has nearly 25 linked trade models totaling approximately 3.56 GB, a size that demands a significant amount of computing power. To address this challenge, we divided our models into one monolithic plumbing model and one monolithic mechanical model – this allowed us to maintain systems across components and keep the file sizes manageable. This project was driven by collaboration between departments, and we’re proud to say it was a seamless endeavor. The Engineering team exported MAJ file formats of the pipe, duct, fittings, and equipment to give to the Estimating department, and MacMiller’s in-house capabilities enabled us to produce accurate estimates that reflected our design as well as shortened the estimating duration. We also harnessed these design models in our Detailing department to support initial constructability and installation drawings. We have had substantially fewer RFI’s as compared to other projects of the same size and we foresee fewer as-built modifications. This outcome can be attributed to the advantages of utilizing 3D during the Design Development Phase and into the Construction Document Phase.
Efficiency meets artistry
SHOUT OUT!
:+: BY KELLY JOHNSON
Rooftop Garden at the Hearthstone | GREEN LAKE On a sunny spring day you might find cement and steel animals playing a round of baseball or taking a dip in the pond on the rooftop of The Hearthstone’s Health Center. What you might not notice is that the scene is built around the rooftop HVAC equipment, which MacDonald-Miller is proud to maintain. “Our residents just love it! It’s interesting and always changing,” said Director of Marketing, Paulette Gregory.
MacDonald-Miller has been working with The Hearthstone for nearly ten years, maintaining the community’s HVAC equipment and working on projects large and small.
TO THE ENGINEERING & CONTROL GROUP It has been my great pleasure to work with the engineering and control group at MacMiller. Over the last two years we’ve merged our entire portfolio under one unified control system. That’s no small task considering we have a 50-acre mall site and over 4,000,000 SF of built out space. The buildings are running better than ever!!! Special thanks, in no particular order, to Pat Hein, Dave Gehman, Michael Coffey also Colby and the gang.
About 8 years ago, CEO Mary Lou Stuenzi saw an opportunity to turn an eyesore into something engaging that residents and visitors would enjoy looking at every day. About 100 residential apartments look down on the rooftop of the Health Center, and while many enjoyed the views of Green Lake that The Hearthstone boasts, they did not enjoy looking at the mechanical equipment.
Thanks again guys… keep up the good work!
Mary Lou hired artist Melissa Koch, who had painted murals inside the community, to disguise the unbecoming equipment. Melissa’s creativity brought to life a farm scene that includes a vibrantly painted cottage (the main roof top unit) and lively chicken coup (the make-up air handler).
TO KEVIN ANWAY & HIS SPTI TEAM
Gary Robertson, The Hearthstone’s on-site carpenter, has been managing the scene-setting of the animals since its inception. Gary creates scenes with an artful eye and attention to detail that the residents love. “One of the best ones was our Olympic scene,” said Gary. “We made a curling rink, the animals had cross-country skis, one was even ice skating on the pond, and of course we had to have a medal podium for the winners.” And for Thanksgiving, the animals gathered at a great big table wearing pilgrim hats and enjoying a tasty plate of PB&J – because, of course, the animals don’t eat turkey! MacMiller technicians look forward to working on the equipment in the interesting backdrop. It brings a smile to their faces to see that the often drab equipment they work on has been transformed into a spirited farm for the viewing pleasure of The Hearthstone residents.
Dave Nieman Kemper Development Company
In a recent letter, the WA Patriot team thanked Kevin Anway and his SPTI team for their contributions to helping bring the Boeing 2-25 Density Improvements project to a successful completion. Though there were many challenges in scope of work and schedule, the efforts of the SPTI team helped keep the project moving forward safely and efficiently. WA Patriot was proud that the project was completed without accident or injury, and acknowledged that MacMiller’s commitment to working safe was a big factor. Finally, the customer stated, “Kevin, with your support as a key subcontractor we were able to accomplish our goal of serving a satisfied client with passion, integrity and commitment. We look forward to more opportunities to work with MacMiller in the future!” WA Patriot team
Elisha Renner | Service Technician for Zone One… also modeling our updated uniforms!
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PRSRT FIRST-CLASS US POSTAGE
IN THIS ISSUE P1
PA I D
The right plan for a tight fit
P2 Earning efficiency honors P2 Heating up the knowledge P3 Of Amazonian proportions P4 This is completely fab P5 Faces of success P6 From one peak to another P6 BIM goes big P7 Efficiency meets artistry
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VOLUME 3 | QTR 3 | 2015
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