2001 NOVA Award Winners

Side-Grip Pile Driver
Laser Scanning 3D As-Builting
Pothole Patching Truck 
Pallet Barrier Flood Fighting
Effluent Outfall Tunnel Ventilation

2001 NOVA Award Finalists

School of Industrial Construction 
Modular Units for Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Cladding Installation without Tower Crane

NOVA Award Statue

2001 Banquet Photos (click figures to enlarge)

Side-Grip Pile Driver
The Movax Side Grip Pile Driver (SGPD) is a vibratory pile driver that is mounted on any standard backhoe. It was developed through collaboration of university research faculty, machine manufacturers, and contractors to make pile driving quicker, safer, and more efficient over a range of site conditions. It grips sheet pile and pipe and H-beam piles from the side to perform all operations, including lifting, driving, and extracting piles and compacting. The SGPD operator can control the direction of a pile and drive it at any angle. Pile length is not limited by lifting height of an excavator, as with traditional pile driving methods that grip the top of the piles. The SGPD is simpler to operate, and it increases productivity and safety.
     This is an innovative way of handling and installing piling that reduces project costs and time by 50% or more; reduces pile driving crew size by more than half; reduces the need for such supporting equipment as compressors, forklifts, and cranes; allows driving in much tighter quarters such as inside buildings and under bridges; reduces ground vibrations and noise; and dramatically improves safety of the working environment.
     The SGPD provides almost instant pile driving capability on projects when an unplanned need for such service arises because of its reduction in setup time, breakdown time, and supporting equipment. The system is used throughout the world on all types of vibratory pile driving projects including sewer-lines, railways, highways, bridges, and buildings.

Contact: Yrjö Raunisto
Unisto Oy
Tölkkimäentie 11
13130 Hämeenlinna,  Finland 
Phone: +358 3 616 1655
Fax:     +358 3 616 1641
Web: www.movax.com
or
Hercules Machinery Corp.
3101 New Haven Avenue
P.O. Box 5198
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46895
Phone: 219-424-0405
  or   1-800-348-1890
Fax:     219-422-2040
Email: drf1599@ctlnet.com
Web: www.hercules-mafco.com

Mounted on Backhoe

Overhead Restriction

Driving at Angle

Driving Horizontal

Automatic Control

Process

Drs. Keskinen and Cotsaftis, and Mr. and Mrs. Raunisto
(click figure to enlarge)

Laser Scanning 3D As-Builting
The innovation consists of a laser scanner driven by a laptop computer. The scanner is aimed at the physical object to be scanned, and the laser beam is directed over the object in a closely spaced grid of points. By measuring the time of laser flight (the time for the laser to travel from the scanner to the object and back again) the scanner determines the position in 3D space of each scanned point on the object. The result is a “cloud of points” - thousands of points in 3D space that are a dimensionally accurate representation of the existing object. This information is converted into a 3D CAD model that can be manipulated using CAD software, and to which the design of the new equipment can be added.
     Laser scanning as-builting solves the most difficult problem that has always been associated with design and construction of new equipment at an existing facility: how to accurately interface with the existing facility and avoid interferences during construction. This problem is almost always exacerbated by the fact that the drawings for the existing facility are not completely accurate, if they exist at all.
     Based on its longtime involvement in the Construction Innovation Forum, DTE Energy included contractor innovation as a primary criterion for the incentive-based fee in its time and materials contract to retrofit the four-unit Monroe Power Plant with selective catalytic reactors. The Washington Group was awarded the contract, and laser scanning 3D as-builting is one of the innovations it employed to satisfy the contract's innovation criterion. A major portion (both inside and outside) of four electric power-generating units was scanned so the large systems for reducing nitrogen-oxide air emissions could be designed and installed. Use of laser scanning as-builting on the Monroe Power Plant saved DTE Energy $10 million. This project is shown in the original NOVA Award Nomination.

Contact: Ben Kacyra
Cyra Technologies
8000 Capwell Dr.
Oakland, CA 94621
Phone: 510-633-5000
Fax:      510-633-5009
Web: www.cyra.com
or
Roger W. Lane
DTE Energy
2000 Second Avenue
Room 574 WCB
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: 313/235-8576
Fax: 313/235-0223
laner@dteenergy.com
or
Bruce Klein
Washington Group Intl., Inc.
510 Carnegie Center
P.O. Box 5287
Princeton, NJ 08543-5287
Phone: 609-720-2568
Fax: 609-720-2361
bruce.klein@wgint.com

As-Builting Process

Photo of Tank

Scan of Tank

Resulting 3D Model

Monroe Power Plant 3D Model

Messrs. Lane, Barrett, Klein, Arminger, and Roller
(click figures to enlarge)

Pothole Patching Truck
The truck-mounted pothole patcher provides an extremely safe environment for patching in heavy traffic or after dark. The one-person operation is completely controlled from the driver's position, in the comfort and safety of the truck cab. It uses spray pothole patching, the breakthrough process of filling a pothole or sealing and filling a damaged road surface by blowing liquid asphalt and aggregate into the void. The major appeals of this technology are its simplicity, quality, and cost.
     Machine operation by a single person, can be compared to conventional throw-and-go methods that use two or more workers. The spray patching method increases the strength and life of the patch while also decreasing the time and cost of patching. It allows year-around patching of roadways (temperature must be above 0 degrees F).  It is the most cost-efficient method of roadway repair, saving 45 percent of cost compared to conventional throw-and-go patching with edge seal.
     The NRC's Strategic Highway Research Program in Washington, DC, found that spray pothole patches can be put in place more quickly, they are less costly, and they last much longer than conventional roadway patching methods. Rosco was the first manufacturer to offer the pothole patcher in a working model as a main-line product for customer use, and its pothole patchers are increasingly popular.

Contact: Steve Simons
Rosco Manufacturing Co.
1001 SW 1st Street
Madison, SD 57042
Phone: 605-256-6942 or 800-658-5499
Fax:     605-256-0240
Web: www.roscomfg.com
or
Scott Kleiger
Patch Management, Inc.
2986 Galloway Rd.
Bensalem, PA 19020
Phone: 877-FIX-ROAD
Fax:     215-604-1016
Web: www.fixroad.com

Patching Process

Pothole Patching Truck




Patch Failure Stats

Messrs. Knuths and Kleiger
(click figures to enlarge)

Pallet Barrier Flood Fighting
The Pallet Barrier Flood Fighting system is an innovation for temporary protection against floods up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in depth. The system uses simple folding steel supports, standard wooden pallets, and a waterproof sheet material. A few people quickly assemble it without using heavy equipment. Pallet Barriers have been used in fifteen serious floods in Sweden, Germany, and Holland. It is quickly becoming the method of choice in Europe, and it has already protected several areas that otherwise would have been abandoned and left to the mercy of the rising water.
     The heart of the Pallet Barrier system is its foldable metal support, which is fabricated from sheet steel. Supports weigh 8.3 kg (18 lb) and are easily handled by one person. They are anchored through friction between the bottom of the support and the ground surface. They support standard EUR-pallets, used throughout Europe for transportation and storage. The inexpensive pallets withstand heavy loads and are available in large quantities on short notice. The waterproof sheet is reinforced high-density polyethylene coated with light density polyethylene plastic.
     The major advantage of the system is its simplicity. The relatively light pallets and pallet supports cause little damage to lawns and gardens compared with sandbags. All components are reusable. After the flood subsides, the barrier is taken down and stored in preparation for the inevitable next flood. Pallet Barriers are assembled by inclining each pallet against its supports so they form a line in the desired direction. The barrier can follow ground contours vertically and horizontally. One person can easily assemble 200-300 meters (650-1000 ft) in a day.

Contact: Sten-Magnus Kullberg
Geodesign AB
Teknikringen 1
583 30 Linköping, Sweden
Phone: +46 13 211955 or +46 705 515455
Fax:     +46 13 211958
Email: kullberg@geodesign.se
Web: www.geodesign.se

Flood Protection

Pallet Support/Modules

Barrier Construction

Pallet Construction

Sealing the Sheeting

Mr. Kullberg
(click figures to enlarge)

Effluent Outfall Tunnel Ventilation
The Effluent Outfall Tunnel is a deep-rock 24-ft diameter tunnel that extends from Deer Island 9.5 mi east to a dead end 230 ft below the seafloor in Massachusetts Bay. Now completed, the tunnel discharges treated effluent through 55 diffusers that sit at the top of 30-in. diameter 240-ft long riser pipes, on the sea floor 110 ft below the water surface, near the tunnel end. During construction, diffusers were sealed to protect the tunnel from flooding. A temporary safety plug at the base of each riser provided a second level of protection against accidental flooding.
     Safety plug removal was the final construction in the tunnel, to be done using bottled air after the electric power and ventilation used in building the tunnel were removed. Disaster struck when two workers died from air system failure after having removed safety plugs from the three outmost risers. Worker safety required that the remaining safety plugs be removed under fully ventilated conditions. However, reinstalling the 9.5-mi electric power and ventilation would have cost $8-$30 Million and added 9-12 months work, without protection from safety plugs.
     The innovative and daring solution was to install a vent pipe on one of the three cleared risers, under 110 ft of water in Massachusetts Bay, and cross-ventilate the full 9.5-mi tunnel. An offshore oil-drilling platform was installed above diffuser 3. A 140-ft long 7-ft diameter cylindrical steel cofferdam with internal 48-in. ventilation pipe, designed and fabricated to rest on the concrete base of a diffuser with a watertight seal, was installed from the drilling platform. A 35,000-CFM exhaust fan mounted on the platform quickly ventilated the length of the tunnel. One team of workers at a time then entered the tunnel at its shaft and removed the remaining 52 safety plugs in eight days, which provided minimum exposure to accidental flooding.

Contact: Kenneth S. Chin
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
100 First Avenue
Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-788-4949
Web: www.mwra.state.ma.us

Tunnel Schematic

Safety Plug

Riser, Diffuser, Plug

Ventilation Cofferdam

Offshore Ventilation

Messrs. Beck, Corkum, Hodgson, Abbott, Chin, McNiff, and Anderson
(click figures to enlarge)

School of Industrial Construction
The BE&K School of industrial Construction (SIC) was established in 1999 to attract high school students to construction. It complements the standard high school curriculum. To remain in the program, all students must maintain an average grade of C or better in both their normal school coursework as well as the SIC. High School students in the 11th and 12th grade enroll on an elective course basis. The class meets 5 days a week for 3 hours during afternoon school hours at a 5,000 SF training facility, located a short distance away from the high school.
     The SIC curriculum is based on a combination of the BE&K Craft Progression Program and the ABC Wheels of Learning. The program is recognized by the NCCER. The curriculum is taught by certified instructors and involves both classroom training and hands-on task training with emphasis in such areas as welding, pipe fitting, electrical wiring, instrumentation, and mechanical / millwright work. Students are also taught the importance and proper use of personal protective equipment and learn to read construction blue prints. Upon graduation, BE&K guarantees these students full-time employment. From the first graduating class in May of 1999, 15 out of 18 students accepted offers with BE&K. Once a student arrives at a project, they are able to continue their training and career progression at BE&K onsite training facilities. The program was developed in cooperation with the Alabama Board of Education, which has approved it for statewide expansion. 

Contact: Scott Flatley
BE&K, Inc.
2000 International Park Drive
Birmingham, AL 35243
Phone: 205-972-6000
Fax:      205-972-6779
Web: www.bek.com

Class of 2001

Students in Class



Hands-On Training

(click figures to enlarge)

Modular Units for Pharnaceutical/Biotech
Modular construction of pharmaceutical and biotech facilities at an off-site location replaces lengthy and unpredictable conventional construction. Individual modules are fabricated under controlled conditions with highly predictable outcomes of quality, cost, and schedule. Modules are assembled at the initial fabrication plant; process and utility equipment is installed and thoroughly function tested for both processes and services; then the modular plant is disassembled and transported to the client's site. There the modules are reassembled and subjected to final validation of all processes and systems before handing over to the client. Modules are of rugged steel construction with concrete floors and can weigh 30-plus tons. Interior room finishes are equivalent to the best conventional construction and employ sanitary design features for floor, wall, and ceiling surfaces. Utilities and services are of proven design and easily validated.
     The modular constructor assumes a greater and more responsible role in the delivery process; from initial design, procurement, validation, and training through start-up. This replaces the unpredictability of weather, trades, and local equipment and materials, with virtual total predictability of these elements by using indoor construction and known trades, equipment, and materials. The modular technique is really an assembly line approach to delivering high technology manufacturing projects. Identical plants can easily be constructed for placement on different sites around the world allowing enhanced product portability. The fast delivery time shortens time to market for new and existing pharmaceuticals. This allows companies to defer decision to start a project to a later stage when the viability of the client's product/project is better known.

Contact: Clas Wallenborg
Pharmadule AB
DanvikCenter 28
S-131 30 Nacka, Sweden
Phone: +46 8 588 99 800
Fax:      +46 8 588 99 888
Email: info@pharmadule.se
Web: www.pharmadule.com

Project Schedule

Less Time to Market

Modules are Fabricated

Shipped by Sea or Road
Placed on Foundation

Completed Facility
(click figures to enlarge)

Cladding Installation without Tower Crane
The Beeche exterior cladding installation system handles curtain wall panels for construction of high-rise buildings. It starts by lifting panels off the truck, proceeds with a sequence of other handling steps, and ends with the installation of the panels in their final location. Its innovation is that panels are installed entirely from the building's exterior without using a tower crane for on-floor staging, so all curtain wall panel work is effectively de-coupled from other simultaneous construction work, which provides major schedule flexibility and schedule acceleration.
     The system's numerous benefits include the following: The cladding contractor can schedule truck deliveries, offloading, lifts, and erection at its convenience, without having to coordinate with other project crane or hoist use. The contractor needs only minimal access space on each floor where panels are being installed, as opposed to blocking out tens of feet of perimeter floor space for storing panels prior to moving them into place. Avoidance of handling panels stored on each floor also decreases damage to other trades' work (e.g., drywall) already in place. The minimum access to each floor makes it possible to install curtain walls on floors of concrete-frame buildings that still have shoring or re-shoring, and curtain wall erection can closely follow concrete placement. The system radically reduces labor costs and virtually eliminates breakage of glass curtain wall panels.
     The cladding installation system consists of several commercial products that can be used independently, but it is their combination that brings radical innovation to cladding installation, because they make exterior installation possible. The system's first full use was the 70-story Trump Tower in New York City.

Contact: Greg Beeche
Beeche Systems Corp.
S-G Industrial Park Building 202
Scotia, NY 12302
Phone: 518-381-6000
Fax:      518-381-4603
Web: www.beeche.com

Crab Hoist

Lifting Panel Bundles

Monorail for Transport

Overall View

Trump Tower

(click figures to enlarge)

Copyright ©2001, The Construction Innovation Forum, Inc.®
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Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, U.S.A. 48302
Phone: (248) 409-1500
Fax: (248) 409-1502
email: info@cif.org

This page written 05/01/01 by RICarr