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There’s no denying that 2022 came in with a great deal of uncertainty. While most of the business world appeared to be coming back from the paralysis of Covid 19, there were no guarantees, particularly in the world of construction. But for ACI, 2022 turned out to be a banner year, one that came to a close just as our efforts were coming to a close on the largest project in company history, VCU’s Children’s Hospital Tower in downtown Richmond, Virginia (more on that in the Projects section below).

In addition to all the work for our clients, we spent a good part of 2022 in growth mode, greatly expanding our presence and our capabilities in the Roanoke and Hampton Roads regions of Virginia. Both locations held open houses to introduce customers, partners and local government to their expanded facilities and capabilities. Not content to expand only in areas where we currently have a presence, we decided to begin looking out of state, down to booming Wilmington, NC, where ACI opened a branch of our unparalleled Service Division.

Back at ACI headquarters, a brand-new specialty division was launched to bring our extensive knowledge and experience creating complex modular components not only to clients here in the mid-Atlantic, but anywhere in the country. The modular work isn’t what’s new here; we’ve been providing modular solutions to satisfied customers for years, saving them money and time while making job-sites safer. What’s new is the national market we will serve. With our 130,000 square foot fabrication facility, skilled craftspeople, and fleet of vehicles capable of transporting the most massive components, we can serve the remainder of the country in the same manner we serve our customers here at home. Look for a feature article taking a deep dive into Atlantic Modular in our next issue!

As a company that’s proud to always make people count, 2022 also saw ACI participating in and hosting events for both our immediate families and our extended family of businesses and partners in the region. October marked the post-covid return of ACI Family Day, a huge celebration of the people who make us what we are. The event is held here at company headquarters and is open to all employees and their family. The day brings great food and drink, games and events for all ages, music, and raffles for terrific prizes, as well as an opportunity to say “Thank you” to the men and women of ACI and acknowledge the importance of family to our daily work.

In that same month, ACI participated in SWaMfest, the Commonwealth’s premier networking, educational, and professional development event for small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses. Our Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Bill Cooper, conducted a seminar called “How to Respond to an RFP,” reminding businesses they can use difference as a lever for success rather than allowing it to be a distraction, allowing them to do more with less by strengthening the effectiveness of their interactions.

Of course, those weren’t ACI’s only EXTRAORDINARY accomplishments from last year. Read on below to learn more about other some of ACI’s 2022 projects of note!

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VCU Children's Hospital Tower

Getting to TCO by Year End

ACI was initially awarded only the sheetmetal portion of this massive hospital addition (14M out of 65M total) in Q1 of 2020. However, later in that year, ACI was asked to take on the entirety of the project: plumbing, mechanical, and med gas, as well as providing all air handlers, med gas compressors, pumps, and heat exchangers, as well as VDC for all the mechanical / plumbing trades.

So why is a project we began in 2020 on our 2022 Year in Review? Because even though we were brought in late in the project cycle, we were able to execute on the largest single project in ACI history and meet the customer’s deadline of having the facility ready for occupancy by 12/31/22, all within a working hospital that saw patients Monday through Saturday, 12 hours a day.

About this Project

Total length of pipe utilized:
Nearly 20,000 feet (cast iron, steel, copper, etc)
(Equates to 3.7 miles of pipe)

Pounds of duct throughout:
582,000 lbs
(This is 291 tons of duct – or roughly 3 adult blue whales!)

2025 tons of cooling capacity

335000 CFM of Main AHUs (5AHUs)

6075 GPM of condenser water

3030 GPM of chilled water

39,000 steam lbs/hr

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Number of Man-hours:
Total Hours: 583,788
Man Days: 72, 974
Man Weeks: 14, 595
Man Months: 3,649
Man Years: 304

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Dominion Energy: Innsbrook Technology Center

Renovation and Lab Addition

ACI’s work began on Dominion Energy’s Innsbrook Technology center in Glen Allen, Virginia in October of 2021; the TCO for the building was obtained in November of 2022.

The facility is comprised of a large two-story building with office spaces and a new laboratory space. ACI’s 3.1 M scope of work consisted of plumbing and mechanical, both above and below ground.

About this Project

This 420,000-SF phased renovation and new laboratory took place while the ITC was occupied and running 24/7, conducting critical operations. Among the many contributions ACI made to the project were:

2 Roof-Top Air Handling Units (AHUs)

6 Computer Room Air Conditioning Units (CRACs)

A chilled water piping system fed the AHUs and CRAC units and was tied-in to the existing building’s systems.

The underground sanitary pipe from the new building was tied-in to the existing building at the basement level.

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AdvanSix (Hopewell): Kellogg HTS Vessel Replacement

Fall 2022 Turnaround

This fast-tracked multi-trade project was performed around the clock for 15 consecutive days during AdvanSix’s Fall 2022 outage. ACI was responsible for coordinating close to a dozen subcontractors while supplying up to 18 direct-hire personnel per shift over the course of the outage.

Key subcontracts included: electrical, insulation, scaffolding, asbestos abatement, cranes, hydro-cutting, pre-heat and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), civil (rock base for cranes), certification/testing (NDE), and design services.
ACI completed its work 2 days ahead of schedule as a result of a well thought out/detailed pre-planning effort, strict adherence to the project schedule, and efficient project execution.

About this Project

As one of ACI Richmond’s heaviest lifts to date, the new HTS vessel weighing 355,000-lbs (fully loaded with catalyst, platforms, piping and electrical conduits during the pre-outage phase) was safely rigged and set on top of the existing LTS vessel more than 50-feet above grade. The two vessel skirts were then welded together followed by the installation of the remaining piping spools and platforms. The original 55-year-old HTS vessel of similar weight and size was removed at the beginning of the outage.

This large capital project also included the replacement of (2) 77,000# heat exchangers and the replacement of a silencer and associated piping on top of the 120 ft tall Kellogg structure.

Here are just a few key facts of particular interest about this project:

  • 16,000 manhours were expended, split between shop and field.
  • A “hydro-cutting” subcontractor was utilized to cut the existing HTS vessel and separate it from the LTS vessel below.
  • 6CI designed a rigging plan for lifting the original 3-1/4” thick vessel from its location.
  • The main lift crane used to remove/install the HTS vessels was a Manitowoc MLC-650. This crane has a capacity of 716 US Tons. It took a week and 50+ truck loads of equipment & parts to erect this crane.

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Mondelez International Bakery Line Expansion

Oreo Production Comes to Richmond

ACI was the mechanical & equipment setting contractor for the Modelez Inernational 69,000 SF building expansion in Henrico County, Virginia.  Dedicated to a new Oreo Production Line, the final contract value for this sweet project was 5.3 M.

About this Project

Below are some of the installations and fabrications carried out by ACI.

INSTALLATIONS:

  • Chiller and 3 dehumidifiers on roof (10,000lb, 5,000lbs, 3,000lbs)
  • 600+ feet of Houdijk conveyor
  • 600+ feet of Imaforni cooling conveyor
  • IJ White Spiral cooling conveyor and insulated panel walls
  • ¾ of mile belt on IJ White spiral cooling conveyor
  • 100m long oven, and belt on second floor of existing building
  • 2800+ feet of conveyor belts


FABRICATIONS & INSTALLATIONS:

  • Two platforms— a combined 28 tons of steel
  • Steel framing for conveyors—25 tons of steel

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VCU Main 3 Interventional Radiology

Phased Renovation at an Active Urban Hospital

ACI was the prime Mechanical and Plumbing Trades Contractor for this 11M phased renovation of an active hospital in downtown Richmond. In order to meet project milestones and deliverables, ACI maintained multiple shifts and alternated between day and night shifts. This approach also greatly aided in keeping disruption within the active hospital to a minimum.

About this Project

The primary scope comprised the replacement of the HVAC system, including installation of a new 55,000 CFM knocked-down custom air handler on the 4th-floor mechanical room, VRF systems, isolation rooms, ventilation and general exhaust systems, plumbing, medical gas, four CLEANSUITE ceiling systems, and CRAC Unit installation for IT and electrical equipment rooms.

This project necessitated the installation of a temporary 45,000 CFM temporary air handler with duct and chilled water system to keep the third floor active during the demolition of the existing custom air handling unit.

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Number of Total Man-hours: 107,453

184 tons Airconditioning system

136,620 pounds of ductwork 

15 fan arrays on the permanent air handler – supply and return

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Atlantic Constructors, Inc. is a full service industrial and commercial contractor headquartered in Richmond, VA (Chesterfield County) with satellite offices in Newport News, Roanoke, Sterling, Hampton Roads, and Wilmington NC. Our highly skilled team of over 1000 employees serves customers throughout the mid-Atlantic region. For more information, visit www.acibuilds.com.