MEDIA A mechanical contractor is suing a local municipality for allegedly unpaid costs, relating to construction work performed for the municipalitys new police station.

JBM Mechanical, Inc. of Nazareth filed suit in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas on Aug. 2 versus Marple Township, located within Broomall.

JBM submitted a bid to complete the HVAC portion of the construction project for the new Marple Police Department building, which it was awarded, and JBM and the municipality entered into a contract for that work on Dec. 14, 2015.

According to the contract, Marple agreed to pay JBM the sum of $481,700 for the agreed-upon construction work. The contract sum was later adjusted during the course of the project through approved change orders.

Marple contracted with Reynolds Construction to be the Construction Manager on the project, and further contracted with Linn Architects as the Professional on the project, who acted as Marples authorized representative during the time period covered in the lawsuit.

Marple and Linn Architects instructed JBM to delete certain tasks from the contracted work, specifically fume hood labor and materials. JBM then provided Marple and Linn Architects with the costs of the appropriate credit for deleting the work for the fume hood.

Marple, by and through its authorized representatives, has wrongfully and without justification, failed and refused to approve a credit change order for the deleted work as documented by JBM in the amount of $5,729.40, but instead wrongfully and without justification has taken a credit in the amount of $15,000.00, the suit says.

The suit adds Marple and Linn Architects ordered JBM to perform work outside the scope of its contract, including additional ceiling installation in rooms 133 and 136 in the amount of $2,205.78; finishing startup in the amount of $529.00; and installing filter media over return grilles in the amount of $1,532.86.

Therefore, the plaintiff says the revised contract amount for add and deduct change orders is $476,663.34, but adds Marple failed and refused to approve the add change orders and reduce the credit wrongfully taken.

To date, Marple has paid JBM a total amount of $412.790.49, leaving a principal balance due and owing of $63,872.85. Marples failure and refusal to pay JBM for its labor and materials, including the proper credit for deleted work, constitutes a breach of contract. As a result of Marples breach of contract, JBM has suffered damages in the principal amount of $63,872.85, the suit says.

For counts of breach of contract and violation of the Commonwealth Procurement Code, the plaintiff is seeking damages of $63,872.85, plus costs, interest, penalty interest and attorneys fees, in this matter.

The plaintiff is represented by Theodore A. Adler and Thomas O. Williams of Reager & Adler, in Camp Hill.

Delaware County Court of Common Pleas case 2017-006854

From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nickpennrecord@gmail.com

Original post:
Mechanical contractor says it's owed money for work on constructing new police station - The Pennsylvania Record

The hard-hat tour lasts 45 minutes, not because Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth is long-winded but because it takes time to describe what goes where inside the Volkar Center for Athletic Achievement.

It takes even longer to detail how much the three-story structure means to Gonzagas 16 sports programs.

The 51,000-square foot building is on course for completion in November. Giant fans whirr on the second floor where strings of new offices are taking shape. Elsewhere, ladders and hydraulic lifts compete for floor space with saws and power cords as the $24 million project reaches the home stretch.

Sometimes when people look at the size of this, Roth said, they marvel that it all fit on that piece of grass (in front of the Martin Centre).

The arms race in athletic departments shows no signs of slowing down. Notre Dame is renovating its practice facility to include two full-size courts, among other amenities. Memphis is putting the finishing touches on a $21 million state-of-the-art facility. UConns new facility debuted in 2015 and BYUs opened last February.

Gonzagas newest additions Volkar Center, videoboard upgrades at several venues and mens basketball locker room remodel enhance the Zags ability to compete for top recruits.

Its crazy important, Roth said. Weve been able to show pictures and put hard hats on recruits and take them on tours. Its not a concept when they see concrete has been poured.

Its a beautiful building and it gives (recruits) a firmer belief this is going to be a better place for them, GU volleyball coach Diane Nelson said. They will feel as though theyre coming into a place thats comparable to some of the bigger programs we recruit against. It will help big time.

FIRST FLOOR: The centerpiece of the ground floor will be the basketball practice facility, unless its the basketball-only weight room or the Hall of Fame, which will actually be more of a historical tour of Gonzaga University.

The basketball court will be a replica of the McCarthey Athletic Center, right down to the lighting, logos and east-west layout. Theres a platform above the court to video practice. Coaches will have the option of covering large windows surrounding the court with the push of a button.

The weight room occupies most of the front section with a video room situated in the east corner. The existing weight room gained a little more square footage during construction and will have fewer occupants with basketball moving into its new workout space.

GU officials jotted down notes and took pictures the last few years on basketball road trips and showed what they liked to Garco Construction, general contractor for the McCarthey Athletic Center, Patterson Baseball Complex and Volkar Center.

We were figuring out what was going to work for us and what wasnt, said Roth, motioning toward the practice court and weight room. The (Chicago) Bulls layout was similar to this.

The main entrance to the Volkar Center, named after boosters and Coeur dAlene residents Pat and Sandy Volkar, sits on the eastern edge and leads into the Hall of Fame, which should see more inductees in the near future.

Since we havent inducted anyone since 1995? Roth laughed. I think we may have a few to do. Thats part of our plan.

The glass atrium ceiling installed in 1986 will be extended to cover part of the Volkar Center and connect it to the Martin Centre, meshing the new and old.

SECOND FLOOR: On game nights, boosters at a certain donation level will walk across a skybridge that connects the McCarthey Athletic Center concourse to the Volkar Center. Theyll soon enter a large hospitality/social room with glass windows featuring views of downtown Spokane and the first-floor practice court.

The space, which will likely create a branding opportunity because of its prime location, joins the Herak Club and 63 Court in Martin Centre as game-night social options.

When not in use on game nights, the room doubles as a supplemental nutrition area for student-athletes.

Theres a short staircase up required to match the new structure with the MAC concourse and the third floor of the Martin Centre to the row of offices on each side of a long hallway for coaches and administrative staff.

Several new offices fill a void above the current weight room that wasnt being utilized. Mens and womens basketball coaches will stay in their offices at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Roth and numerous staffers have been in temporary offices in the MACs rowing room since May. Cellphone reception is spotty and Roths office door is roughly 20 feet from a bench-press station. He hopes to move into his new digs in September.

In his old office, Roth had no idea about the weather outside other than when it was hailing because he could hear it on the vent above his desk. His new office will have an east-facing window and hell be able to see the sky through the atrium.

Ill actually have a window for the first time in 30 years, Roth said. I can look out and see if the sun is shining or not.

THIRD FLOOR: Roth stops in his tracks in the middle of the expansive area dedicated to academic support services.

Its not just the pinnacle of the building being on top, Roth said. Its the main focal point of the whole building.

The area is perhaps 60 yards long by 25 yards wide. GUs 325 student-athletes currently squeeze into a room labeled the dungeon by one coach thats a fraction of the size of their future home. It will be mostly open space, but the back portion is dedicated to offices and sectioned rooms for study groups. Theres a small outdoor, covered balcony. Glass windows provide panoramic views.

If you talk to my group and what draws them to Gonzaga, obviously beyond the volleyball is how strong the academics are, Nelson said. They spend a lot of their down time between practices in our stinky locker room doing homework because its cramped in the (academic support room). Theyll have a better space.

The top floor also has ample storage room.

One of several new or refurbished videoboards got a workout last week in its debut. The new videoboard at Luger Field was operational for the womens soccer teams exhibition match against Mount Royal. GU coasted 9-0.

Work is underway on videoboards inside the Martin Centre, volleyballs home. Plans call for new scoreboards on both endwalls and a 12-foot by 9-foot videoboard on the east wall. They should be ready for the home opener versus Arizona State on Sept. 1.

Its another piece, Nelson said. I could have a flip scoreboard and I wouldnt care, but our gym is already pretty special compared to some schools in our conference. This just says, We know where youre headed and we are going to help you get there.

Improvements at the McCarthey Athletic Center include a new four-sided, center-hung videoboard with 21-foot by 13-foot rectangular screens facing the sidelines and 12.5 by 12.5 square screens facing the baselines. There will also be a circular ring at the bottom with a circumference of 64 feet.

A pair of 36 by 12 endwall boards will replace the current screens/stat panels.

The time frame for installation, particularly of the center-hung videoboard, presents a minor challenge with practice approaching for mens and womens basketball and construction beginning in early September.

Weve worked hard with Daktronics on the right size, Roth said. Its going to be big, but not too big. Now youre taking a great venue and making it better.

The last phase will replace the scoreboard at Patterson Baseball Complex. The new videoboard will be 36 by 12.

The mens basketball locker room is being remodeled. An adjoining room that was previously used for storage will allow for a modest expansion.

There will be new lockers, showers and entrances into the locker room and the players lounge.

The remodel and videoboard projects are being funded by booster donations.

Were stoked to have a new locker room, freshman wing Corey Kispert said, and the new practice facility is going to be awesome.

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Volkar Center stands out as game-changer for Gonzaga athletics - The Spokesman-Review

Figurine, a huge mural of human-like golden flowers painted on the outside wall of the Alise hotel in the inner Tenderloin, is arresting and romantic.

The seven-story installation by the muralist and graffiti artist known as BiP is one of four paintings so far in his Bay Area Megamural Series, a street project involving hundreds of cans of spray paint, uplifting designs and museum-worthy artwork but with no museum admission fee.

Public support has allowed the series, which began as a five-building project, to expand to include at least a dozen local buildings, according to Michael Atto, a community liaison for the project.

A globally known anonymous and independent artist based in the East Bay, BiP (stands for Believe in People) works in both graffiti and authorized modes, creating eye-catching paintings with a pop-art or surrealist look and an often playful tone. His themes include love, joy and human connection.

The Bay Area Megamural Series, which BiP is conducting in partnership with producer Atto, is designed to provide the public with museum-caliber art in free, street settings and to help the Bay Area mural scene regain international attention.

With the unveiling of Figurine in July, BiP has completed four murals. All were painted with building-owner permission. Most have involved an owner request for an original BiP installation, with the owner supplying financing, Atto says.

BiP maintained complete creative control over the designs.

In addition to the evocative Figurine which pictures blooms that look like brains, and share roots and feelings the series also includes No Ceiling.

Unveiled earlier this year on a South of Market wall near the Westfield San Francisco Centre, the mural celebrates local talent and female ability, picturing a girl with muscles Popeye might envy, a Rosie the Riveter-style pose and a tattoo featuring an anchor and two local area codes.

Self Consuming Self-Dave, on the wall of the San Francisco City Center Hostel in the Tenderloin, features a man with a microscope examining what is in his heart, literally as well as reflectively.

Vintage, in downtown Oakland, consists of an older fan looking elated while holding a vinyl-era thrash-metal album.

While he keeps his identity secret, BiP is reportedly a self-taught artist from the East Coast who, in what might be described as a modern-day Gauguin scenario, left a conventional financial-world career to realize his calling as a painter. He severed ties with his earlier life so he could anonymously create public art.

Atto credits unanticipated public support, along with the success of the series thus far, for its expansion beyond five buildings.

While well have to stay tuned for the details, Atto can reveal that the next building in the series will be its largest yet.

In some sense, the public has given us a mandate to continue with or without institutional support, and BiP has directed that mandate to define a new approach to public art, Atto says.

IF YOU GO Murals by BiPFigurines, 580 Geary St., S.F.No Ceiling, 816 Mission St., S.F.Self Consuming Self-Dave, 685 Ellis St., S.F.Vintage, 1600 Broadway, Oakland

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Big BiP murals bloom around town - San Francisco Examiner

Or, more accurately, an overhauled flagship store slash installation from artist Sterling Ruby.

Raf Simons was appointed chief creative officer of Calvin Klein a year agoalmost to the dayand in that time the Belgian designer has done just about everything one could do to overhaul the successful-if-stagnant house. A revamped logo? Check. Refreshed advertising campaigns? Check. A brand new aesthetic for the brand and one that delivers on months of built-up hype? Check and check. Despite all the newness that Simons has broughtand continues to bringto Calvin Klein, there's been just one thing missing: Simons-designed stuff to actually buy.

The good news is that the first drops of Simons & Co.'s renewed C.K. Collection wares (henceforth referred to as 205W39NYC, thankyouverymuch) are trickling into the world's best menswear stores right this very second. The better news is that the entire Raf-imagined Calvin Klein Universe lives in one spaceand its doors are open for business. The building is the much-admired John Pawson-designed Calvin Klein flagship store on Madison Avenue in New York City, but what's inside is unlike anything any C.K. loyalist, luxury shopper, or passerby even has ever seen before.

For starters, it's yellow, very yellowand yellow everywhere. The walls are yellow. The ceilings are yellow. The industrial scaffolding that does double duty as display racks and design element off which pom poms, decorative fringe, and vintage patchwork quilts hang are yellow. The reimagining of the once-sedate space comes from the brain of longtime Simons collaborator and artist Sterling Ruby, who decided to jolt the store's three in-use floors to life with the "warning color of cautionary tape and traffic signs," according to a press release. And in case it wasn't clear from the glowing canary yellow interiors that this is a new era in C.K. land, you'll certainly know from the racks and shelves which are stocked with clothes and accessories from Simons's first 205W39NYC runway show (including those CALVIN KLEIN JEANS ESTABLISHED 1978 pieces) for men and women as well as a small selection of curated housewares and the brand's newly-launched crisp white bedding.

Im taking the Calvin Klein flagship store from minimal to maximal, said Ruby. I wanted the store to glow from within, representing a new day for Calvin Klein. But how long this new day will actually last remains to be seen. Apparently, the floor-to-ceiling installation is what the company is calling "an intermediary step...prior to a forthcoming renovation of the building." If this is what Ruby and Raf Simons can do for some temporary digs, we can't imagineor fathom, reallyjust what the hell they'll get up to when it comes time to make things permanent.

Calvin Klein is located at 654 Madison Avenue in New York City.

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This interview began with an uncomfortable question.

"Are you afraid of heights?" Twin Cities artist Eric Rieger asked while ascending 75 feet in a cherry picker. "It shakes when it gets high. Or it bounces. That's the scariest part."

Rieger, known widely as HOTTEA, was heading toward a skylight inside the Mall of America to continue work on a 5,000 square foot yarn piece called "Hot Lunch."

The 60-foot-tall installation is Rieger's largest so far, a milestone in his art career that started with graffiti and has led him into what some call "yarn-bombing."

As a graffiti artist, Rieger's tag was HOTTEA. But he fell afoul of the law. The next time he got caught, someone warned, he'd be looking at some consequences.

He stopped, but found himself missing the creative part of tagging.

So, Rieger turned to yarn-bombing. He began creating increasingly complicated designs by weaving wool into words on chain-link fences. The words last for a while and then succumb to the elements.

In time, he began making bigger pieces, weaving a brilliantly colored yarn roof on the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, and huge free flowing curtains of color at outdoor concerts. They are hard to describe, but invariably they cause people to pause and stare in wonder.

"I try to create memories with my installations," he said. "I've always tried to do that from day one with my street work."

For the Mall of America piece, Reiger started with 900 pounds of yarn, which came as skeins the large twists of wool favored by knitters.

"It took roughly two months of preparing the artwork," he said.

Reiger needed 60-foot lengths of yarn, and a lot of them enough to fill a 5,000 square foot atrium three stories tall.

However, Reiger's studio is only 40 feet long. So, he set up pegs 30 feet apart and had assistants walking, back and forth, unraveling, clipping and then tying one end to specially cut mesh squares.

"I had like five [people] for like for two weeks just unraveling yarn," he said. "I think we calculated around 14,000 strands of yarn."

Once measured, clipped and attached the yarn was carefully folded into bags. The mesh now hangs from a lattice of cables near the skylight.

Rieger and his assistant spent five days preparing the piece. As they dropped each yarn piece one by one, the work expanded. Each new bag delivers a new batch of color to the growing wall of wool. He calls it a color field.

Mall of America Senior Vice President Jill Renslow helped commission the piece. She loves watching mall visitors stop and stare.

"It's a different view and experience from different perspectives, whether you are on level three and you are right there," she said. "As you move, the color sequences change."

"Hot Lunch" is now on view in the atrium of the mall's northern entrance.

View original post here:
Yarn rainbow fills skies inside Mall of America - Minnesota Public Radio News

Crews use helicopter to install new AC units in Trapper Gym

Bystanders on the Northwest College campus and residents of surrounding neighborhoods were treated to an unfamiliar sight Tuesday morning: a Bell UH-1 helicopter, commonly known as a Huey, landing in the parking lot of the Johnson Fitness Center.

The aircraft from Sky Aviation in Worland was on hand to assist with the installation of a pair of new air conditioning/heating units in the Trapper Gym.

David Plute, NWC facilities director, said the installation was the first part of a two-phase renovation project for the Johnson Fitness Center complex.

The helicopter portion of the work had been originally scheduled for Monday afternoon. But as you might expect, getting the green-light from the Federal Aviation Administration to land a Huey in a residential area turned out to be a bit of a process.

We encountered a bit of a delay with the FAA processing what they call the restricted area, Plute said. You have to get a congested area plan to chopper in to basically a residential-type setting like that.

At first glace, an industrial crane may have seemed the logical choice for installing the units. However, according to Plute, the helicopter proved to be more cost-effective.

We would have had to bring in a big crane with a lot of stick to be able to get to that high roof and to get the reach from that parking lot, he explained. Bringing in a crane from Billings, with the travel time and setup, it was actually cheaper to the project to use the helicopter for the lift. The cost of the crane and the helicopter were pretty close to the same, but where the contractor saved a lot of money is that his guys would have been tied up pretty much all day [if they had used the crane].

As it was, the helicopter was on site for less than an hour, accomplishing in that time what could have been an all-day process.

That thing went even quicker than we thought it would, Plute said. The contractor is in charge of means and methods as part of our contract. We just assisted with coordinating with the FAA, making sure we had all the insurance and approvals, then coordinating with the campus and the Powell Police Department so that we were able to close off the streets and secure the area.

The contractor for the renovation project is Jims Building Services in Powell; the HVAC project is subcontracted to Schrader Metal and Design in Cody, which enlisted the services of Sky Aviation.

Plute said everything went off without a hitch and, as an added bonus, people in the area were treated to something they dont see everyday in their neighborhood. The helicopter even assisted with a little campus housekeeping.

As a side benefit, they blew some of the leaves on the sidewalks and in the gutters away, Plute said. But if we ever have to do it again, Im bringing the Visine concessions, because it got pretty dusty here standing around.

Other work on the gym this summer involved taking out old, combustible insulation, Plute said.

We have plans next year to re-do the gym floor, make some repairs, as well as improvements to the ceiling of the fitness center, he said. That and some other things will be phase two for next year.

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NWC takes to the skies to install new equipment - Powell Tribune - Powell Tribune

Raf Simons reworking of the Calvin Klein brand reached a new high with the reopening of its Madison Avenue flagship space in New York City. Coinciding with the arrival of Simons debut collection in store, the three-storey space originally designed by John Pawson has been transformed with an immersive floor-to-ceiling installation by the American artist Sterling Ruby.

The artists concept for the boutique plays off two other interiors projects hes previously created for the label the 12th floor showroom and the ground floor space of its 205 West 39th Street headquarters. It also echoes the brands new space at Dover Street Market New York. Filled with artfully arranged scaffolding, hanging sculptures by Ruby and awash with bright, traffic-sign yellow, the boutiques interior is charged with a transient feel that straddles both realms of art and industry.

Calvin Kleins NYC boutique is flush with dazzling traffic-sign yellow. Photography: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics

Rubys sculptures, which are made up of everyday objects and materials, also occasionally feature Calvin Kleins 205W39NYC logo, reiterating the Peter Saville-designedmoniker for Simons new vision. Vibrant, youthful and concurrently capturing the gleam and grit of American culture, the boutique visually epitomises the progressive energy of the iconic brand.

Filled with Simons A/W2017 mens and womens collection for the label, and new denim, underwear and accessories offerings, the boutique brings the previously disparate facets of Calvin Kleins universe effortlessly under one roof. A specially selected assortment of home objects, which include Homer Laughlin coffee mugs, ceramic vessels by ceramicist Rose Cabat and vintage Italian glassware, are mixed in throughout the store. One-of-a-kind vintage quilts also serve as a contemporary foil for the brands new all-white bedding collection.

Simons says, I wanted the store to generate a very immediate physical experience that could as well be intimately connected to the collections. It is also a continuation of the language I am creating with Sterling for Calvin Kleins visible and physical identity.

RAF SIMONS, NEW YORK ARCHITECTURE, RETAIL DIRECTORY, CALVIN KLEIN

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Reborn in the USA: Raf Simons unveils Sterling Ruby-designed Calvin Klein flagship - wallpaper.com

Truck suppliers are preparing for when clients decide to make the move

Its no secret that most sports broadcasting still features stereo sound, and there might be more mono listening going on than some in the industry would like to think. But the mixes from the onsite production need to remain at the cutting edge, and discrete 5.1 on-air sound has been the standard for the basic mix for at least major-league shows for the better part of a decade. However, sports broadcasting is on the cusp of its next transition: from multichannel to immersive sound.

Such systems as Dolbys Atmos, Fraunhofers MPEG-H, and Barcos Auro are competing to deliver seven to 22 channels into the home. Atmoss 5.1+4 iteration (a standard surround array plus four overhead channels) has been the leading contender in the U.S. since the inclusion, in late 2015, of Dolbys object-capable AC-4 format as part of the ATSC 3.0 standard.

The audio compartment in production trucks like Game Creeks Madison will have to be retrofitted with additional speakers for immersive sound.

Consumers, many of whom have been confounded by surrounds six channels, seem to be embracing soundbars as an alternative to adding even more loudspeakers into the living room. But, in the trucks on the front lines of sports production, immersive sounds extra speakers will have to go somewhere.

Just Talk for NowAt Game Creek Video, a few sports clients have expressed passing interest in immersive audio, according to VP, Engineering, Paul Bonar, but thats as far as the category has gone in remote-productiontruck design. Weve had no requests for anything concrete and just limited discussions about the topic, he says.

Many truck audio compartments already house seven or more speakers: the standard L-C-R and L-R rear arrays, plus more subwoofers on the floor (the .1 channel) and, most recently, more transducers dedicated to production input from producers and directors.

[A1s] want to hear that kind of audio coming from dedicated speakers in different parts of the room, Bonar explains, so they know whos talking just by the direction its coming from.

Sometimes another stereo pair is installed just for pre-fader monitoring. (Speakers can take the form of either conventional bookshelf types bolted to walls and ceilings or speakers embedded in A/V monitoring units, such as Wohlers AMP Series rack-mounted systems.)

Other key hardware and software elements to support immersive audio, such as audio consoles, are also still over the horizon, notes Jason Taubman, VP, design and technology, Game Creek. Clients are also still working on how they want their audio monitors configured in relation to their video monitors [in the audio compartment]. There are a lot of pieces still being moved around, so adding more for immersive audio will complicate that.

However, Bonar says, its not inconceivable that Game Creek could make at least provisional accommodation for additional immersive speakers in the near future in designs. Its something we might consider. And it would not be a big deal to retrofit [our trucks] for the extra speakers in the ceiling. We know where theyd go if they want them.

A Large Number of VariablesNEP Broadcasting also has had little direct customer input on the immersive front. VP, Systems Integration, Joe Signorino says his team has been considering various approaches to speaker placement in the event that the call comes for an Atmos- or Auro-capable audio compartment. The number of variables is considerable, he notes, ticking off the different form factors of various speaker brands and models, how much more bulk the powered versions of speakers take up, and how the installation of ceiling speakers the signature piece of next-gen audio is complicated by how dense things get behind each compartments ceiling.

Retrofitting existing trucks could be especially challenging, he explains. And, with more and more speakers into the same amount of space, you could start to encounter problems having enough space to achieve proper imaging.

Gerling Associates fabricates most of the rack-ready and turnkey production vehicles used in the U.S. President Fred Gerling says he has not heard any specific inquiries about speaker-array designs for immersive audio. However, he notes, the instructions coming from his clients, including NEP and Game Creek, lately increasingly specify more provisions for speakers that is, the trimmed cutouts into which the finishing companies will install the actual speakers than in the past and for more monitors in the audio compartments ceilings, which would be the location for most dedicated immersive-sound speakers for broadcast applications. Its a trend that might hint at what the future holds.

The number and locations of additional speakers is changing lately, he says, adding that that can complicate the esthetics of the trim around those additional speakers, as different configurations for these new audio monitors get worked out. Audio is changing, but what doesnt change is that they still want these trucks to look good.

Truck developers waiting to see what their audio compartments will look like in the future have little definitive to go on at the moment. But they are aware that there only will be more speakers in them than ever before. For now, theyll be mostly cutting virtual holes in the ceilings of CAD designs while waiting for their clients to make some long-range strategic decisions.

Click here for Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring, Part 2 Speaker Options for Road Warriors

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Tech Focus: Audio Monitoring, Part 1 Road Warriors Transitioning ... - Sports Video Group

If youve been thinking that you just cant go on, darn it, without the Bobcat Den and its soup and salad bar, breakfast buffet, Bates Burgers, midnight confabs, etc. take heart.

Its predicted that the Den will reopen for business by Sept. 1, as the HVAC upgrade that has kept the semi-subterranean eatery closed since June 11 will be largely complete by then.

The silvery metal box above the ceiling rails is one of four fan-coil units that will heat or cool the public area of the Den. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The Chase Hall project has entailed the installation of new heating and cooling equipment serving both the Den and Memorial Commons, upstairs. From the comfort standpoint, that will mean a substantial improvement to air conditioning in the Den and, for the first time, the delivery of AC to the old high-ceiling dining room, now a multipurpose space.

Under the direction of John Rasmussen, who is wrangling the HVAC project and is also the colleges energy manager, the undertaking will also loop Chase Hall into the campus-wide monitoring and control system for space heating.

Finally, the project will unify all of Chase under a single heating technology, rather than the dual systems forced hot water and steam heat that have done the job for more than a decade.

This is one of two new HVAC units in the Den that will bring in, and heat or cool as needed, air from the outside. They replace units installed in 1950, when Memorial Commons was added to Chase Hall. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The current project has touched much of the building, but the Den has gotten the brunt of the attention. Technicians for Damon Mechanical progressed by leaps and bounds (unfortunately, we took no pictures of the leaping and bounding) through July.

They put two new air handlers into closets, flanking the Den entrance facing the Library Quad, that had housed the 67-year-old original units. (The obsolescence of those old warhorses, in fact, is what precipitated the entire project.) The air handlers pull fresh air into the building and heat or cool it.

Damon also hung from the ceiling several fan-coil units that, employing so-called hydronic technology, use hot and cold water to heat or cool the ambient air. Four were installed in the Dens public area, along with one each in the Den prep kitchen and staff lounge, sultry spaces that had never been air-conditioned.

Much of the HVAC work in the Bobcat Den had been completed when this photo was taken on July 26, 2017. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

When we visited on July 26, all the pipes connecting the fan-coil units had been fitted and the wiring was about done. Sheet metal workers were fabricating air ducts that will move air where its wanted, and boxes of pipe insulation awaited installation.

In short, Rasmussen expected all the mechanical work in the Den and environs to be finished this week. Then comes the end game: Jackies Cleaning & Maintenance of Lisbon, Maine, will come in to dust and clean floors; the furniture and fixtures will be put back where they belong; and Dining Services staff will come in to sanitize the dining room and service spaces. That will take about a week.

Shown are new and old openings providing outdoor air for one of the Dens air handlers. The old vent, at right, simply allowed air into the air handler space. Dirt, dead leaves, and other detritus tended to clog it, and it will be closed. The new vent, at left, will be louvered and ducted directly to the handler. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

Still outstanding is the implanting of sensors and controls for the campus heating control network. Deferred to avoid disrupting Bates Dance Festival classes scheduled in Chase for six summer weeks (the dancers are noisy too, but at least they have rhythm), that work will be finished after the festival season ends this weekend. Ditto the installation of fan-coil units in Memorial Commons.

Plumbers, meanwhile, have been piping their way southeast from the Den toward the Chase mechanical room, where a new heat exchanger will extract heat from the campus steam loop to feed the fan-coils. (Cold water for cooling the air comes from a chiller that serves several buildings.) In a sort of Promontory Point moment, albeit without the golden spike, that connection was made within the last week.

The black pipes at top center will carry water from the Chase Hall mechanical room to fan-coil units that will heat and cool the Den and Memorial Commons. Project manager John Rasmussen is standing by the fiction section of Bates former bookstore. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The installation of the heat exchanger and related machinery is about half complete, Rasmussen says. With pressure on to reopen the public spaces, weve been trying to get everything done except the mechanical space.

The history of heat in Chase Hall is nearly as convoluted as the building itself, which has been much altered and added onto during its 98 years of existence. For instance, the failure of a steam pipe from Muskie to Chase in 2013 cut the building off from campus steam until last year, when the bad pipe was replaced. During the intervening years, a backup boiler in Chase heated the building.

Whatever the primary heat source, campus steam or backup boiler, two different technologies have been distributing warmth throughout Chase for years. A heat exchanger installed about 15 years ago provided hydronic heat to the older section of Chase, facing Campus Avenue, while radiators driven directly by campus steam served the Den and Memorial Commons.

Visually underwhelming, this 6-foot-long heat exchanger will nevertheless play an essential role in heating Chase Hall. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

The fan-coil units and new heat exchanger will supplant that system, as well as the Dens old and feeble air conditioning. So Chase henceforth will be all hydronic. (And just to confuse things even more, domestic hot water in Chase the water for sinks, dishwashers, etc. is supplied by a separate heater.)

Much of the new heating equipment has been moved into the mechanical room two red-painted pumps that will circulate water for heating around the building, the deceptively plain heat exchanger, a large expansion tank that will buffer the water pressure created as cold water, heated by steam, expands. But Rasmussen expects that it will take most of September to finish connecting and testing the machinery.

That means the new air treatment system will likely not come to life until the end of September, hopefully by the time we need to turn the central steam plant on. And so, just as Den fans have had to delay gratification until late summer, we may not get to experience the comforts of an effectively air-conditioned Den until late spring.

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update welcomes your questions, memories, and comments about campus improvements. Please e-mail Doug Hubley, stating Construction Update or Could you explain that again? in the subject line.

Rolls of insulation ready to be wrapped around pipes serving the Dens new HVAC system. (Doug Hubley/Bates College)

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Campus Construction Update: Aug. 4, 2017 - Bates News

following extensive renovations, calvin klein reopens their 654 madison avenue flagship store in new york city, with the interior now completely covered in a bright yellow color. as a fresh re-imagination of the american brand, artist sterling ruby as chosen by calvin kleins new creative driector, raf simons has created a floor-to-ceiling installation, which displays the high end clothing within an under-construction environment. these outfits, including calvin klein jeans est 1978, underwear and accessories, announce the debut of raf simons 205W39NYC collection that was first and only seen at his fall/winter 2017 runway.

the bright yellow interior creates an eye-catching contrast onthe grey stone madison avenueall images courtesy of calvin klein

Im taking the calvin klein flagship store from minimal to maximal; my design should be seen as a marker to celebrate the future of the brand, says sterling ruby. I wanted the store to glow from within, representing a new day for calvin klein.

the installation presents a fresh re-imagining of the american clothing brand

I wanted the store to generate a very immediate physical experience that could as well be intimately connected to the collections,raf simons explains. it is also a continuation of the language I am creating with sterling for calvin kleins visible and physical identity. the use of very direct and familiar references common to the american visual experience creates a simple and emotional connection with the brand.

raf simonsfall/winter 2017 collection debuts at the flagship store

sterling rubyscolorful and bright transformation of the calvin klein madison avenue store contrasts uniquely and boldly with the grey stone exterior that defines the new york boulevard. on entry into the store, the radiant yellow is seen to adorn not only the floor, walls and ceiling, but also the make-shift scaffolding shelves. continuing this theme of building work, construction platforms that are painted in primary colors, display items such as handbags, shoes and additional accessories.

primary colored construction blocks provide a platform for shoes, handbags and other accessories

under-construction scaffolding has been used for shelving

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raf simons & sterling ruby makeover calvin klein's madison avenue store - Designboom