Newsletter - Vol. 2 issue 1

Project Pipeline - Commercial

Going Above and Beyond to Get the Job Done

It’s going above and beyond that has earned Contractors Mechanical top honors in the Plumbing category at the Associated Builders and Contractors 2007 Construction Awards Program for work performed at Rave Motion Picture Theaters. At the 14 screen theater in downtown Kalamazoo, ceiling heights of 32 to 42 feet in some areas had Contractors Mechanical quite literally going above and beyond with creative solutions to install mechanical systems and piping.

Contractors Mechanical’s Field Manager Mike Dennis worked with VCC Construction’s Senior Project Manager Matt Orender and Project Superintendent Dan Hirth on the project. To properly position aerial lifts to construct overhead piping systems, Contractors Mechanical had to get the lifts beyond a straight three-and-a-half-foot drop in the floor to an area referred to as the birdbath. “We contracted steel erectors to build a custom made platform and ramps to transport aerial lifts over the drop and into position for hanging cast iron piping,” say Mike Dennis, Contractors Mechanical’s Field Manager on the project. “The projection room on the second floor also posed some interesting challenges. That area has a 32-foot ceiling height, where we had to install ductwork off the air handlers and gas piping. The second floor, however, was not rated to bear the weight of an aerial lift that stretched beyond 19 feet. Using a 19-foot lift, we lowered sheet metal and welded piping from above to installers on the lift. Pieces were lowered vertically through a hole in the roof.”  

As you might expect, acoustics are critical in this type of entertainment venue. Mechanical systems and domestic water supply and stormwater runoff lines posed the potential for unacceptable noise levels. Cast-iron piping to meet fire codes was used to construct stormwater runoff lines. To mitigate the transfer of any potential noise from high volumes of water passing through lines running through the theaters’ ceilings and walls, Contractors Mechanical double-insulated the piping.

Nearly half of the 14-plex cinema is also located under a multi-level parking structure where vehicles pass over on the parking levels above. A special, shock-absorbing ceiling, no vibration heating ducts, and flex connectors for HVAC were used to isolate and mitigate the transfer of noise and vibration from vehicles driving in the ramp. 

“Below ground, we also had some special considerations to take into account,” says Dennis. “Were working in a very tight urban site. A 1500-gallon underground grease trap for capturing popcorn oil is located immediately adjacent to the new building’s footings. To protect the integrity and avoid impeding on the building’s foundation, we used special steel plating to construct the trap.”

At Contractors Mechanical, we take a lot of pride in going above and beyond, figuratively and when the project calls for it, literally, to get the job done right.