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Is it Greener to Retrofit than Build New?

September 6, 2012 / Elisabeth / One comment

We all know that building new green buildings is always a hot idea, but experts have been pushing the idea that retrofitting existing buildings with green upgrades provide more environmental benefits. Your first thought may be new = better however, there is now proof that these experts are correct from a report released earlier this year. The report found that it is unequivocally greener to retrofit an old building than construct a new green building, no matter how many high-tech bells and whistles are in the new construction. The report was drawn from “The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse” project which was commissioned by Preservation Green Lab.

Elizabeth Heider, chair of the board of directors at the USGBC said “The thought was in order to build green you have to build new.” However, the report numbers add up in favor of retrofits. The report states:

  • It can take between 10 and 80 years for a new energy-efficient building to overcome, through more efficient operations, the negative climate change impacts that come from construction.
  • Environmental savings from re-use are between 4 and 46 percent over new construction when comparing buildings with the same energy performance level
  • The negative environmental impact of retro green for human health was between 12 and 38 percent less than for new construction
  • When it comes to ROIs, retros showed a 19.2% increase in ROI versus 9.9% for new buildings

Case in point, retrofitting is the way to go! Bruner has a successful track record of helping our customers retrofit their mechanical systems for over 50 years. Let us assist you in developing a retrofit solution that works best for your building by contacting us today!

Category: Construction, Energy Conservation, HVAC Service / Tags: , , , , , ,

12th Avenue Tunnel Project Completed!

August 23, 2012 / Elisabeth / No comments

As summer comes to an end, so does the construction on the OSU Wexner Medical Center 12th Avenue Tunnel project. Bruner was chosen to relocate the utility tunnel in order to provide high pressure steam and chilled water to the new Critical Cancer Tower along with distribution to other main hospitals on OSU’s Medical Center Campus. The new underground tunnel connects from the South Campus Chiller Plant and travels down Cannon Drive and up 12th Avenue to a main valve vault located at the corner of 12th Avenue and Harding Hospital. With the help of Bruner, this mechanical upgrade will result in greater efficiencies and savings in operational costs and energy in adjacent buildings.

Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC services were maintained throughout construction to major OSU buildings, and all piping systems were installed after the tunnel completion. So what was included you ask? For the chilled water piping there is: 1600 lineal ft of 36” and 900 lineal ft of 42” extra heavy carbon steel pipe, and 500 lineal ft of 24” pre-insulated underground piping. As for the high pressure steam and condensate piping: 1000 lineal ft of 12” seamless carbon steel piping and 1500 lineal feet of 8” and 6” stainless steel piping. Bruner manpower peaked at 20 pipefitters and welders at one time!

So the next time you are walking around Ohio State’s campus and find yourself on 12th Avenue, think about the hard work put in by Bruner to achieve efficiency and energy savings below you!

Category: Construction, Projects / Tags: , , ,

And the Award Goes To…

July 5, 2012 / Elisabeth / No comments

The BX Craftsmanship award judges met recently and selected nine individuals to be honored with a 2012 BX Craftsmanship award, and Bruner’s Doug Linnabary was one of the nine who received it! We would like to congratulate Doug and his team on the high-quality work that they performed on the Project Noble Data Center. Specific to the award, Doug was recognized for the installation of HVAC piping in the mechanical room and CRAH gallery at the Project Nobel Data Center.

Since 1964, the BX Craftsmanship Awards Program has recognized the importance of craftspeople for the quality work they provide to the local construction industry. The Craftsman recipients were selected from 29 nominations of work completed throughout the Central Ohio area during the past year.

We are proud of Doug, and expect his hard work and success to continue to be awarded in the future.

Category: Construction, Employee Spotlights / Tags: , , , ,

Fast Track Prefab for Scioto Downs Casino

April 23, 2012 / Lauren Coker / No comments

The Scioto Downs Casino is a fast track project. The construction of the building must be concluded in six months, with all HVAC and plumbing finished in months two and three of the project.

Bruner Corporation has performed many fast track jobs in the past, but not as short as this. In order to accomplish this task, prefabrication was a necessity. Bruner developed an aggressive plan that entailed the prefabrication of all ductwork and plumbing fixture rough-in piping systems in our shops. The fixtures would subsequently be shipped to the project on a just-in-time basis.

The prefabrication process consisted of 60,000 pounds of ductwork and 2,500 feet of waste and vent, and domestic water piping. Modular restroom assemblies were prefabbed for 161 fixtures. Twenty-one batteries were shipped to the project, rolled in to place, and finish piped in four weeks.

Bruner met our commitment to our customer with the detailed planning and coordination between our fab shop and field teams.

Thanks to all those who made this project a tremendous success.

Category: Construction, Projects / Tags: , , , ,

NCH RBIII Nears End of Plumbing, Med-Gas Line Installation

January 9, 2012 / Lauren Coker / No comments

Nationwide Children’s Research Building III is nearing the end of the installation of the building’s plumbing and medical gas lines after almost two years of field installation work.  The seven-story building is roughed in and final connections to medical outlets, building equipment and fixtures will be made throughout the next 30 days.

Nearly 15,000 linear feet of medical gas copper pipe serve the wet labs on levels four and six, distributing carbon dioxide, oxygen, medical air, and lab gas.  Over 17,000 linear feet of domestic water copper pipe has been installed, with more than half of that being located in the lower level vivarium. These lines feed the faucets, drinking fountains, emergency shower and eyewash stations throughout the building. The lower level vivarium also required a specialized drinking water distribution system specifically designed for small and mid-sized animals. These 2,600 linear feet of fire rated plastic pipe were brought in from a design and manufacturing company based out of California to supply clean water to over 200 distribution stations.

Currently, Bruner is working in conjunction with other final trades companies to ensure all sinks, faucets, eyewashes, and bathroom fixtures are set properly. Final items to be completed by other trades include installation of cabinetry, floor tile, drywall, and ceilings; painting; and installation of lab-specific structures to house medical gas lines.

Life Safety for the building is set for February 6, 2012, meaning that all plumbing work must be completed and inspected by that time.

 

Category: Construction, Projects / Tags: , , , , , , ,

OSU Tunnel Project Nears Completion of Main Piping Systems

December 27, 2011 / Lauren Coker / No comments

Bruner’s work as on the Ohio State University Medical Center Tunnel project began mid-2010. As we near the end of 2011, Bruner’s team is working hard to meet deadlines, complete tasks, and prepare for next year’s challenges.

At its inception, the project involved a utility tunnel relocation providing high pressure steam and chilled water to OSU Medical Center’s new Cancer Critical Tower, along with distribution to other main hospitals on the Medical Center campus. Feature of the project include:

  • Chilled Water Piping
    • 1,600 lineal feet of 36” extra heavy carbon steel piping
    • 900 lineal feet of 42” extra heavy carbon steel piping
    • 500 lineal feet of 24” preinsulated underground piping
  • High Pressure Steam and Condensate Piping
    • 1,000 lineal feet of 12” seamless carbon steel piping
    • 1,500 lineal feet of 8” and 6” stainless steel piping

The goal of the mechanical upgrade was to result in greater efficiencies and savings in operational costs and energy in adjacent Medical Center buildings.

As we sit here today, the main piping systems for chilled water (CHW), high pressure steam (HPS), and pumped condensate return (PCR) for all remaining sequences in the Tunnel project are nearing completion. The Bruner team is also preparing for hydrotesting of the CHW piping, which will begin in mid-to-late January 2012. In the following four weeks, crews will focus on small bore piping and specialties as they prepare for the steam blow operation to begin in May 2012.

Category: Construction, Projects / Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Advantages of Prefabrication Date Back to Ancient Times

December 6, 2011 / Lauren Coker / No comments

The process of prefabrication has been around since ancient times. It is believed that as early as the 3800s BC a roadway known as the “Sweet Track” was built in Somerset Levels, England, using prefabricated sections of Ash, Oak and Lime trees. Today, prefabrication is used in engineering across many disciplines, including mechanical and civil engineering.

At Bruner, we often prefabricate materials at our location in Hilliard, Ohio, prior to delivering them to any given job site. To learn more about the advantages of prefabrication, watch the video below.

Category: Construction / Tags: , , , , ,

A Brief Look into the History of BIM Technology

November 21, 2011 / Lauren Coker / One comment

Building information modeling (BIM) made its debut in the AEC industry in 1987 in software company Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD program under a different name – virtual building. Building industry strategist Phil Bernstein was the first to use the actual term “BIM” while working for Autodesk, an American multinational corporation that focuses on 3D design software.

AEC industry analyst Jerry Laiserin helped popularize and standardize the term BIM as a common name for the digital representation of the building process. Laiserin argued, “‘building information modeling,’ as a description of the next generation of design software, seems to me to come closer to the winning characteristics evidenced by ‘CAD’ for its generation of tools—specific enough to evoke reasonably clear, common meanings, yet broad enough to encompass a diversity of commercial and technological approaches. The only fly in the ointment is that Autodesk has been using the term for the last few months to describe their building industry strategy.” Before deciding upon the name “BIM,” other possibilities included: single building model, virtual building model, integrated project modeling, and project lifecycle management.

Today, BIM technology can be found in the AEC industry across the world. In Canada, the Institute for BIM in Canada (IBC) is responsible for leading and facilitating all of the coordinated use of BIM technology in the Canadian construction environment. In the UK, the Construction Project Information Committee is, “responsible for providing best practice guidance on the content, form and preparation of construction production information, and making sure this best practice is disseminated throughout the UK construction industry.” As a committee, they proposed a definition of Building Information Modeling for adoption throughout the UK construction industry. Several groups – including the FFB ((Fédération française du bâtiment) and the French branch of buildingSMART – are pushing for a more integrated adoption of BIM standards in France.

BIM is still relatively new technology in an industry typically slow to adopt change. Early adopters of the technology, though, are confident in BIM’s growth potential.

Category: Construction / Tags: ,