ACI Takes the High Road with Hydronic at Fostoria High School

Posted by Matt Milos on Mar 1st 2019

There are very defined roles and responsibilities for every trade and contractor involved in a project, and for good reason.

Many of the rules we hold dear, however, are often at odds with the needs of the job. Compressed schedules, tightened regulations, and increased costs have all lead to changes to the construction process to reduce problems.

Using hydronic construction heaters simplifies climate control and keeps all trades on-site happy by providing fume- and moisture-free heat.

With multiple trades simultaneously working on the same project, it can be difficult to keep things running smoothly.

The Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) provides a framework that seeks to increase integration between trades and streamline the process by having one construction manager with primary responsibility for the entire project.

Hydronic heat keeps humidity in check - no moisture delays here!

The OFCC helps trades cooperate on the site.

The new Fostoria High School is one such project.

No matter how cold it gets outside (and this isn't as cold as it gets in Ohio), hydronic heat will keep your job site at the temperature you need.

With the number of trades involved and a hard deadline, there was no room for deadlines.

A joint venture between Shook Construction (Cleveland, OH) and Touchstone CPM (Lima, OH), the high school was one of two new buildings to be built for the district. Construction began last year in order to complete the structure for the 2019-2020 school year. The OFCC process is not without difficulties, however. Steve Schnipke, Project Superintendent for Touchstone, explained: “We have over 27 separate prime contractors on this project alone that need to be coordinated.”

Fortunately, one of the primes on this project is Alvada Constrution Inc., an early adopter of hydronic technology that has owned their own system for over 14 years.

Hydronic heat keeps both temperature and humidity in check without the high fuel costs of other heat sources.

Andrew knew hydronic could make life a lot easier on his job.

We connected with Andrew Brown, PM for ACI's portion of FHS, last fall at one of our lunch-and-learn events. When we unpacked some of hydronic's advancements that help streamline work, Andrew recognized how it could help his project.

Hydronic heat creates ideal conditions for finishes.

Using hydronic has already helped the schedule at FHS.

We should note that ACI’s portion of the project involved footings, foundations, and concrete floors. Additionally, they were to provide temporary heat to maintain the building at 40°F. Almost any method would do the job, but Andrew wanted to go further. He set up an onsite meeting with ACI Project Superintendent Jeff Lucius, a veteran of several hydronic projects. Jeff liked what he saw: dry, even, emission-free heat would benefit all trades working on the project. The two then approached Steve with a hydronic plan.

Using hydronic to providing clean, dry, efficient heat helps everyone on the job.

By using hydronic heat ACI is making conditions better for all trades involved.

Steve, who has made a career in time-crunched projects, agreed to turn Fostoria High School into a trial run for their group. Despite a higher up-front cost than what they had planned, by avoiding delays the system would easily pay for itself. They fired it up the first week of January and are now applying primer to the interior.

We love working with firms like ACI and Touchstone that commit to both quality work and controlled costs.

It's gratifying to think that every dollar saved on this public projects can be spent on improving students' education. Thank you to all involved for allowing us to be part of the process.