Grab a notepad and pencil. It’s time to learn how the United States’ largest medical education building construction project will go from a building shell to the University at Buffalo’s new Jacobs School of Medicine facility.
Once completed, this $375 million project will bring more than 2,000 students, faculty, and staff to downtown Buffalo—increasing enrollment 30 percent by 2020. Enrollment numbers began to rise soon after the construction crew broke ground on the project in October 2015. Construction started the following March and is on target to wrap up before fall 2017 classes.
Completing the eight-story, 628,000-square-foot project in just 4 years requires a dedicated team working together to share space and equipment as well as manage time.
One of those teams comes from John W. Danforth Mechanical Contracting, which won the bid for the mechanical, HVAC, and plumbing portion of the job.
MILES OF PIPE
Once Danforth’s portion is completed, the team will have installed hundreds of miles of pipe throughout the medical education building, spent countless hours, day and night, working onsite, and supplied more than 100 jobs to local workers. Pulling that all together, while meeting the tight deadlines, meant getting organized well in advance.
Danforth started by evaluating the building plans. The crew knew they would need easily maneuverable equipment to navigate the site and ease the installation process. They also knew the challenging project would involve renting additional equipment to make the job faster and safer.
The building’s low ceiling heights, for example, made using a standard 19-foot scissor lift difficult when installing ductwork and pipe. As a result, Danforth began discussing equipment needs early in the planning process with a New York-based rental company they had worked with in the past, ADMAR Supply.
NEEDING A LIFT
Michael Folaron, Danforth’s lead foreman, was looking for an electric scissor lift that safely worked with the building’s 15-foot ceilings and was also compact, lightweight, and lasted an entire day without needing to be recharged.
ADMAR recommended Custom Equipment’s Hy-Brid Lifts for the job. After selling Hy-Brid Lifts for about 10 years, ADMAR recognized the benefits the lifts would bring to multiple areas of the project due to their easy-to-maneuver and lightweight design. After listening to advice from ADMAR’s team, Danforth began to realize the benefits of a compact lift.
“Typical 19-foot scissor lifts would be overkill for this job, and with multiple elevation changes on the main floor, we need something that could adjust to the varying ceiling heights and not be too high,” Folaron says. “That’s why the 14-foot Hy-Brid Lifts work so well.”
At just 30 inches wide, the compact HB-1430 lifts fit through the school’s standard doorways to easily move in and around the building. The lifts’ weight, 1,645 pounds, also made them light enough to hoist into the building with a buck hoist rather than a crane, saving time and money.
Featured Image: To install plumbing and HVAC, the team needed an electric scissor lift that safely worked within the building’s 15-foot ceiling and was also compact, lightweight, and lasted an entire day without needing to be recharged.
Above: John W. Danforth Mechanical Contracting won the bid for the mechanical, HVAC, and plumbing portion of the University at Buffalo’s new Jacobs School of Medicine.
LONG RUNTIME
A key concern for Folaron was getting lifts that wouldn’t quit before his crew did. Some electric lifts he’d used in the past didn’t make it through a full workday without needing a recharge. ADMAR assured him that would not be a worry with Hy-Brid Lifts, which use two AGM maintenance-free batteries. The maintenance-free batteries minimize downtime for workers, as they are able to continue working rather than stopping to add water to the batteries, which is required for maintaining standard lead acid batteries on competitive models. Custom Equipment’s AGM batteries not only require minimal maintenance, but also provide power for an entire day while not slowing as time passes.
CUSTOM PIPE RACK
Folaron was also searching for lifts that would help his team be more productive and safe in the long hours it would take to complete the project. Custom Equipment worked with ADMAR and Danforth to custom engineer a pipe rack that would provide added safety and stability, as well as enhance efficiency and productivity. The pipe racks also had to allow Folaron’s team to haul the maximum amount of material in addition to two workers. Unlike other systems on the market that simply weld on top of the lift, disturbing the machine’s balance and capability, the custom-designed pipe rack system was integrated into the overall design of the Hy-Brid Lifts without impacting machine stability or safety.
The pipe racks allow Folaron’s team to transport materials from the ground to the ceiling for easy installation, cutting trips up and down the lift by a third and shortening installation time. Besides enhancing productivity, the customized pipe racks make it possible for two workers to operate and install materials, speeding up production time. Aftermarket pipe racks, on the other hand, would limit the amount of space on the platform and not allow for a second installer. This is due to how the rack is incorporated onto the lift.
“The pipe racks are an ideal solution for our overall safety and efficiency,” Folaron says. In total, Danforth ordered 47 Hy-Brid Lifts pre-equipped with the custom pipe racks, as well as 10 additional pipe racks to install on existing lifts.
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
“We like to be problem-solvers for our customers. If we know the specifics of the project, we can work with them to find solutions that will help them finish their jobs safely and productively,” says Jeff Valind, Custom Equipment’s vice president of operations. “Working with Danforth and ADMAR, we were able to create a custom attachment that was designed to help both businesses succeed.”
Construction on the medical education building has been running smoothly. According to the crew there have been few areas of concern.
“The biggest challenge in this job is coordinating between the trades,” says James Schwartzmeyer, Danforth foreman. “In one day, the lifts get a lot of use between our entire team through the various construction workers, contractors, electricians, and plumbers, just to name a few.”
Crews of construction workers remain hard at work to finish the medical education building. Meanwhile the University at Buffalo’s students and staff are eagerly waiting for the day they can step foot inside and explore the newest addition to campus. ■
For More Information: For more information about Custom Equipment, call 262.644.1300, or visit www.hybridlifts.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions – January 2017
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A Compact Lift for a Compact Timeline
