Instructors from the Local 36 Sheet Metal Workers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Program gave a tour of the existing training school in order to give ASHRAE a better understanding of the unique and extensive training they provide to their union members.  

Dan Andrews, Training Coordinator for Local 36 Sheet Metal Workers, gave a presentation on the new union hall and training school building that is in design.  He explained how Local 36 will renovate the former Missouri Boiler building on the northeast corner of Jefferson and Chouteau avenues to develop a new state-of-the-art, 96,000 square-foot campus.

Kevin Cook, Murphy Company, presented information on Building Information Modeling (BIM) which is a powerful collaboration tool used throughout the design and construction process.  It allows each member of the team to participate and benefit from the use of this technology, including the owner, architect, engineer, and contractor.  This presentation demonstrated the benefits of utilizing BIM from a contractor’s perspective.

Work is to begin next month on Chouteau Crossing, the future site of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Training Center and a drug testing lab within a facility designed to be a $24 million showcase of green construction.  The developers two tenants are the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 and DynaLabs LLC.

Built in phases between 1947 and 1970 as the main shop for Missouri Boiler, much of the property has been unused for years except for truck parking and industrial equipment storage.  After financial arrangements are complete (a closing date of March 31 is projected) work to transform the site will begin.  All the bones of the two existing buildings will be altered.  Green characteristics will include: 

-low flow urinals, dual flush toilets and faucet sensors

-roof rainwater collection and a cistern system for landscape irrigation

-storm water control with roof vegetation

-light colored metal roofing to complement the environmentally friendly green roof

-solar panels, wind turbines and a geothermal system to help reduce the buildings’ energy demand by 30 percent.

U.S. Bank is Chouteau Crossing’s lender and buyer of the federal New Markets Tax credits allocated to the project.  It also is benefiting from tax-increment financing and 10-year tax abatement from

 

 

 

 

Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 hosted the ITI’s BIM classes during the weeks of February 1 and February 8, 2010.  Members from not only Local 36 but other locals around the country participated in these classes in order to earn certifications that they will be able to use when returning to their local.  These certifications will enhance the contractors ability to do BIM coordination.

Local 36 and the JATP initiated the BIM program with the hiring of Instructor Steve Sneed in August of 2009 in order to take major steps in putting  this technology in the hands of our members.  The ability to do this has been acknowledged by the ITI which is allowing Local 36 to grow to be a resource for other locals to become certified in BIM.

BIM is allowing workers of different trades to begin to work more efficiently together on the jobsites.  BIM management is not exclusive to the HVAC and sheet metal workers on all jobsites but characteristically lies in their hands due to the large amount of space that most HVAC systems require.