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IBM’S Wet Free Cooling System Named Best Overall Energy Project

February 24, 2012

The New England Chapter of the Association for Energy Engineers recently recognized IBM, PC Construction, and associated partners with the 2011 Best Overall Energy Project Award for the Wet Free Cooling System project. This project, located at IBM’s Essex Junction facility in Vermont, allows IBM to use outside winter air to produce air conditioning for its semiconductor manufacturing and related operations that require cooling year-round. The process reduces their use of electricity and water and saves the company up to $700,000 annually.

Learn more about this project.

IBM’s Wet Free Cooling System Named Best Overall Energy Project

PC X-RAY AS-BUILTS™ IN CONSTRUCTION

February 22, 2012

Imagine this: You are planning to start some remodeling work that requires opening up a wall and you’re concerned about what utilities or mechanical systems might be hiding behind the wallboard. Do you consult your as-built plans? Probably, but do you really trust them to be exact? Probably not. What if you could put on your superhero cape and use your X-ray vision? Believe it or not, now you can!

With our PC X-Ray As-Builts™, clients can see behind the walls or above the ceilings in spaces we have constructed. You can be sure of what’s hiding there and not risk the chance of serious or disruptive damage to important building infrastructure.

Here’s how it works: With our panoramic equipment and technology, we can photographically document the systems that will soon be hidden in walls and ceilings. We create a 360-degree interactive image that is both easy to use and accurate. See for yourself:

PC X-Ray As-Builts™

Click on this image and then move around the screen with your mouse to see beneath the walls and ceilings of this now finished space

Additionally, we have taken the technology a step further by creating an inexpensive virtual window utilizing existing technology. You can step into any room, move the virtual window around the room, and you’ll be looking through a “window” that peers into the wall or ceiling as it was constructed. Dimensionality and locations of piping, conduit, ductwork, and other such items are no longer a mystery.

When installed on a workstation, these images can be linked and navigated either through an index page or with the use of hot spots or buttons in the photos themselves. For example, click on a door and be taken directly to the image of the neighboring room. This can be taken even farther by linking to things such as detailed photos of a particular object. Even equipment operating and maintenance manuals can be integrated. This technology can be tailored to the particular needs of the client or facility management group. With PC X-Ray As-Builts™, the possibilities are almost endless.

JOIN US FOR THE VERMONT HEALTHCARE ENGINEERS SOCIETY QUARTERLY MEETING

February 17, 2012

Please Save the Date! PC Construction is pleased to host the Spring 2011 quarterly meeting of the Vermont Healthcare Engineers Society (VHES) on Friday, March 9 at our corporate office located on Tilley Drive in South Burlington. Continue Reading →

NORRIS EARNS CERTIFIED HEALTHCARE CONSTRUCTOR DESIGNATION

February 14, 2012

PC Construction’s Eve Norris has earned the designation of Certified Healthcare Constructor (CHC) by the American Hospital Association. This accomplishment was highlighted with a feature story in a recent New England Healthcare Engineers Society (NEHES) newsletter.

When asked why she pursued CHC certification, Eve stated, “I have consistently challenged myself to take advantage of all educational opportunities that enable me to stay current in the construction industry at large, and additionally those that are specific to health care. Taking the CHC exam was a personal challenge as well as a confirmation of my experience in health care. This certification makes me an even stronger asset on PC’s resume when pursuing new work.”

Eve is currently a PC Project Executive focusing on the health care market.

Norris Earns Certified Healthcare Constructor Designation

Eve Norris on the site of a recent hospital addition project

SENIOR ESTIMATOR RECOGNIZED WITH 2012 FOUNDING PRINCIPLES AWARD

February 9, 2012

I am pleased to honor Senior Estimator Andy Seaton today as the 2012 recipient of PC Construction’s Founding Principles Award.

Andy joined the PC team in 1979 and, over the past 32 years, divided his time between constructing projects in the field and estimating them in the office. During his earlier years with the company he traveled from Vermont and Maine to Virginia and Texas working on treatment plant and building projects. Nearly 20 years ago, he transitioned to the Estimating group, focusing on mechanical estimating and helping the company bring key projects into the win category.

Andy personifies what PC is all about: hard-working, operates with unquestionable ethics, and is a creative thinker who is always willing to pitch in where needed. He constantly and unselfishly mentors the other members of the Estimating group, providing silent leadership in a way that few can. Andy is always well-prepared for every challenge and is rock-solid when the pressure is on. He truly deserves this award.

The Founding Principles Award recognizes individuals within the company who exemplify the “PC Way” in all aspects of their work. Recipients embody the principles and values handed down by Angelo, Remo, and Jim Pizzagalli and their parents, Angelo G. and Theresa. The award acknowledges the accomplishments of individuals who exhibit a sense of urgency, go one step beyond with customers, pay attention to details, take personal responsibility for actions and consequences, recognize the importance of safety, and possess a can-do attitude. Recipients also demonstrate the utmost honesty and integrity, all while having fun doing things right and doing the right thing in a fashion that brings about team, company, and individual success.

Senior Estimator Recognized with 2012 Founding Principles Award

Senior Estimator Andy Seaton (center) is congratulated by Project Executive Jeff Garner (left) and President Peter Bernhardt (right) after presenting him with the Founding Principles Award

iPads and the Cloud in ConstructioniPads and the Cloud in Construction

THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE RIGHT TIME AND IN THE RIGHT PLACE – IPADS AND THE CLOUD IN THE FIELD

February 8, 2012

PC Construction is using iPads in combination with cloud solutions to solve age-old problems in the construction industry.

It has always been a laborious manual task to update drawings and specs with the latest RFIs, design bulletins, and such. Think photocopier, scissors, tape, stacks of blueprints, and volumes of specifications. Now multiply that by each subcontractor having to get copies of each change document and updating their own set of plans and specs. In addition, field personnel need access to a lot of other documents such as shop drawings, current schedules, field sketches, O&M manuals, coordination drawings, safety information such as MSDS, etc.

This situation presents a host of problems. Continue Reading →

PWCSA ART CONTEST

February 7, 2012

Mike Cecil, PC Construction Director of Business DevelopmentI had the pleasure of joining PC Senior Superintendent Mike Franzoni on January 31 as a judge for the Prince William County Service Authority Water Art Invitational.

The Water Art Invitational is an annual art contest hosted by Prince William County Service Authority where high school students are encouraged to submit artwork created around a specific theme related to safe treated drinking water and consumption. This year’s theme is “How public water improves the quality of our lives every day.”

This event is one I enjoy participating in for many reasons. It is so important to get the youth of today involved in topics of importance in the world around them. Continue Reading →

PC CONSTRUCTION RECOGNIZES SAFETY PROJECTS OF THE YEAR

February 3, 2012

We are pleased to recognize our top Safety Projects of the Year for 2011.

Northeast WWTP ImprovementsNortheast WWTP Improvements, Hickory, NC

A $21 million project for the City of Hickory Public Utilities Department that consists of modifications to an existing 6 MGD facility originally built in 1948. The primary scope is to provide a new process train switching from Aeration Basins to Oxidation Ditches, with the addition of a new Influent Pump Station, Grit Removal Structure, Oxidation Ditches, Secondary Clarifier, and SCADA System as well as renovations to the Disinfection Systems, Secondary Clarifiers, Odor Control, and Dewatering Facilities. In addition to the mechanical process construction, a new Laboratory Building is being built. Project completion is scheduled for June 2012, six months ahead of the contractual date. Continue Reading →

INTERESTED IN AN INTERNSHIP OR CO-OP?

February 2, 2012

One of the best ways to try out a potential career and improve your chances for consideration with a great company is to obtain an internship or a co-op – preferably at least two or three during your college career. While some schools make this a mandatory requirement, others do not. Employers, however, look for relevant experience, especially internship or co-op experiences. If you are a Civil Engineering or Construction Management student, try to gain some field experience in roles such as a carpenter, mason, or other craft in addition to office experience working with a project management team on a large construction project. Continue Reading →