SOME EXAMPLES OF OUR PROJECTS
Import Car Dealership
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This FLORIDA project was one project that we will not soon forget. Even years later the detailing
team can recall issues with individual grid lines. The project was 500 ton in size
and was a fairly simple column and beam design with misc. such as stairs and handrails.
The problem was caused by this being the last project that the engineering firm was going
to work on before retiring and closing their business. The structural engineering drawings
were not complete and had many errors and the engineer did not have any staff remaining to work on the project
and he himself did not have good health. We had to work closely with the engineer, architect
and general contractor and had to issue 152 RFI in order to be certain about steel locations.
In the end the project was brought back on schedule and the general contractor issued a reference
letter for our detailing company.Our detailing firm was fairly paid for the extra work we had
to provide to make this job a successful project for all. This fabricator supplied and fabricated
the joist for the project so we created the joist shop and layout drawings as well.
Fire Station
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This NEW YORK project was notable because of the excellent architectural and
structural design drawings. We received this project because the first detailer
hired by the fabrication was unable to create accurate or complete drawings. The archiect
was going to force the fabricator to resign from the project unless they could
supply accurate drawings quickly. The HIP AND VALLEY design had slip critical
connections and galvanizing on some of the steel. There were over 340 lintels
using a variety of material sizes. The project was successfully completed
and the fabricator, general contractor and architect and engineer were
all very happy.
The trusses were too large to be trucked on local highways, so field assembly was required. The project
involved concrete beams at the second floor level which required holes to be
included in the columns to allow the rebar to pass through. The building had a brick veneer
exterior which required shop welded masonry straps on perimeter columns. The straps
had to be placed to match the elevations of the brick veneer. Second floor joist
were supported by embedded plates.
Office Tower
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This Canadian project is included in our project display
as it was a BIM project. The building is mainly a concrete
and glass structure with structural steel in the two lower
parkade levels and the first four floors. There was a significant
structural steel frame on the penthouse level and a pedway
joining the new building a previous office tower across the street.
There were literally thousands of embeds and the double modelling
system works very well and assures that no embeds are left out, or
incorrectly placed.
Special consideration had to be taken to
accommodate the significant entrance canopies which had stringent
painting requirements which affected on site assembly. The structural steel
involving the first four
floors required co-ordination with the structural glass supplier.
Condominium Project
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We often work on commerical residential or larger residential
projects that have structural steel combined with concrete or
concrete comfloor, and involve structural steel studs.
These projects often have glulam beams
or LVL and consideration has to be given to strutural steel stud
structures. The architect for this project was very good to work
with, but the drawings had a lot of missing information. By meeting
with the architect on several occasions and providing him with a
working model viewer and a model of our projects along with extensive
layouts structural steel shop drawings were created which allowed the
structural steel framework to be erected at the job site with no problems.
A common concern with this type of project is that fact that the main
floor concrete floor slab will not be poured according to the needed tolerances
that stud installers or structural steel fabricators/erectors require. Caution
needs to be taken on this type of project to have the steel stud installer wait until
the floor slab is poured until they attempt to prefabricate the steel stud walls.
The floors are never as level or flat as the steel stud supplier thinks they will be.
Hospital Parkade
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We are often asked to provide shop drawings for precast hospital parkades.
The structural steel component is often guardrails, steel stairs and handrails
as well gates and misc steel.
We are able to be successful with these projects
by providing a full set of layouts that can be used for arch/eng approval and then
taken to the job site for actual site measurements and confirmation.
Often the
precast concrete is 1 or 2 inches different than the design drawings call for. Embeds
are often set by the precast detailers and are not placed where the structural layouts
require. All of these issues are common for parkades with structural steel components.
The structural steel needs to be galvanized in almost all cases. It is very important
for the fabricator to wait for final completed revision of the shop drawings before
he takes drawings and fabricates some steel. These jobs require a LOT of onsite measurements.
Unusual Steel Structures
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Our detailing firm is often asked to work on unusual structures
that are used for specialty industries. Some examples of industries
we serve are the gold mining industry, potash mining industry, lumber
processing industry, agriculture, ocean side loading and shipping, salt
mining, oil industry and food processing industry. Often this structural
steel has special requirements regarding shipping and erection sequencing.
Coating of steel is almost always a special concern.
Our project managers can work with your project managers, or we can work
directly with the general contractors to make certain that all necessary
procedures and shipping is looked after. Of course all necessary robotic NC
files or dxf files are provided.
Oilfield Structures
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We have a lot of experience with oil industry pipe racks and models and support structures.
The double model system of checking is very useful to make certain that everything is perfect
when the fabricated steel is shipped to the jobsite. Experience with grating is very important.
Often the size of the fabricated units must be considered for shipping allowances. Specific paint
requirements are important. We take care and go to the trouble to consider how the new structures
will be erected next to existing structure. We are familiar with the paper work necessary. We are
familiar with structural steel requirments for both the American and Canadian oil production industry.
Oilfield Platforms and Stairs
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Because we have offices in areas where there is a strong oil production industry
we have fabricators who supply that industry. These fabricators need drawings for
oilfield platforms and stairs of all types. These structures often have very specific
paint requirements and need to be supplied to the remote site where they are assembled
by contractors working directly for the oil company and not associated with the
fabricator. Everything needs to be perfect every time. Often grating is involved. Handrails
can be fabricated from pipe or angle iron. Sometimes stair treads are bolted to the stringers
because the treads are galvanized and the stringers have a specific painted color. We are
familiar with all of the needs of the oil industry and the paper work involved. We can work
with the fabricator and if necessary, the general contractor to make certain that all needs are met.
Simple Structures
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Some of our fabricator customers seem to work on complicated/difficult projects that others
are not able to succeed with, and other customers prefer working on the highly competitive simple structures.
We are able to provide the competive shop drawings cost/value that fabricators need when they
are quoting on simple structures. These jobs must be perfect because there is certainly no margin
for error. Fabricators know that their projects will be carefully checked and that they can trust
the shop drawings they receive from us.
Difficult Complicated Structures
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As detailers we look for difficult and complicated projects. These are projects that we desire.
Our experience allows us to succeed with this type of project. We enjoy the challenge and often
the value of the shop drawings for this type of project is greater. Whether the project involved
is for an airport or for the mining industry, oil industry or areospace industry we desire the challenge. We have never seen a project that was too difficult and we have never quit a project of any kind. The double model approach to detailing is especially useful on difficult projects because each
modelling team will perhaps have a unique approach to the problem. Or the checkers can review each approach and take that information and have a suggestion of their own. Contact us for any difficult or complicated project that you might have.
Small Structures
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Detailers seem to like to use their website to display only the LARGE projects that they work on. Many of our customers
have a small detailing office that handle the small projects that come in and only hire contracted
detailers for the large projects. But we have many customers that hire us to do ALL of their detailing
because they know that our checking systems always produce shop drawings that will result in successful projects. Consequently we accept any type of project that our customers provide to us at
a fair value. We do many small projects per year and many of these projects are not easy because the
design drawings on small projects are often quite imcomplete. This is always a way to make these projects succeed. Projects can be small such as one or two flights of stairs or simple handrails or a
small mezzanine. Whatever the project is, and no matter how small we will work for our customers on any type of structure steel projects.
"Disjointed" Projects
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It is important that our customers know they have a detailing office that will work
on any type of project that they have. We work on a lot of "DISCONNECTED PROJECTS" like
schools, renovation projects, residential projects, store front redesign and roof top repairs.
If these jobs require professional layout and shop drawings for architectural and engineering
review we will provide a complete set of drawings. Often there is a lot to consider even though
the project is small. Often the steel is going into an existing building structure. Consideration
must be given to size of the assemblies so that they will fit into exiting hallways and stairs.
Sometimes existing machinery and plumbing and electrical are a consideration. Consideration must
be given to being able to access bolts with impact wrenches when the bolted beam/column is next to
an existing wall. The experience needed is more than just making certain that the beams and columns are going to fit properly and bolt up well. We have years of experience with these type of smaller "disconnected projects".
Contact us for reference letters from fabricators, general contractors and erectors. We have many project examples that you could review.