CINFAB is proud to earn the 2019 Ohio Valley ABC Excellence in Construction award in the Mechanical-Commercial $2 to $10 million category for our work in restoring the Union Terminal landmark.
The Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, originally Cincinnati Union Terminal, is a mixed-use complex in the Queensgate neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Once a major passenger train station, it went into sharp decline during the postwar decline of railroad travel. Most of the building was converted to other uses and now houses museums, theaters, a library, a symphonic pipe organ, as well as special travelling exhibitions. Starting in 1991, it has been used as a train station once again.
The Cincinnati Union Terminal Restoration project was special in many ways. Being selected as a subcontractor to take part in restoring a significant landmark was a true honor. There is so much history that goes along with one of the last American train stations built in the United States. Cincinnati Union Terminal is a true Cincinnati icon. It opened in 1933 and has had a long history, including welcoming soldiers home from World War II to becoming the home of three museums today.
Our Union Terminal work
As the design assist contractor, our MBJ/CINFABteam worked with Arup Engineering, GBBN Architects, and Turner Construction to finalize a mechanical system design that served the needs of the historical building. Bringing in our expertise early in the process helped complete the final design correctly, which allowed for the seamless start to the construction process with a great set of accurate construction documents.
After the design work, MBJ/CINFAB utilized 3D BIM to coordinate with all the mechanical contractors before fabrication. The team utilized 3D scans and field verification to optimize the design. We worked with Turner Construction and other trade contractors on pull planning schedules so the project could be completed on time.
MBJ/CINFAB coordinated, fabricated, and installed 500,000 pounds of sheet metal over a 25-month phasing plan. It required thousands of man-hours and continued planning throughout the project. We worked closely with the museum personnel to accommodate revolving shows and displays. We also worked many different shifts and overtime hours to be flexible to the museum’s needs.
Over the course of the 25-month project, we performed over 100 change orders at the direction of the owner. We completed the base scope and all the additional change orders within the original duration of the project. As we approached the grand opening date of the museum, we supported the construction team on commission and startup of 21 large air handlers, 2 dust collection systems, 3 hot water boilers, 2 steam boilers, and air balancing and testing of all life safety dampers.
MBJ/CINFAB took an innovative approach to this project. We utilized prefabrication, enhanced our quality control, used pull planning scheduling, and our innovative field labor management system for value analysis.
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Established in 1981, CINFAB is a high-quality and competitively priced commercial HVAC sheet metal contractor. Over the years, we’ve grown to house a 30,000 square-foot full-service fabrication shop, and our capabilities have expanded to meet the specific design, fabrication and installation needs of our customers.
Contact us to design, fabricate and install your HVAC sheet metal systems.
