Winter Springs, FL—February 2, 2011 – Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc., a full-service plumbing contractor based in Winter Springs, was recently awarded two contracts for the plumbing construction of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) in Port St. Lucie, Florida for the Oregon Health and Science University.
Baltimore-based Whiting Turner Contracting Co. oversees construction of the 98,000 square feet of laboratories and offices. The three-story structure, including two equipment penthouses on the roof, is scheduled to open in 2012 and will house VGTI Florida’s research on vaccines that fight cancer and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and dengue fever. Its studies are also focused on improving the immune system functions of the aging population.
The contracts awarded to Modern Plumbing were for the base building, excluding the underground scope of work and a Government EDA funded portion of the building project, which includes Bio Safety Level 3 laboratories. The building itself will be LEED certified upon completion.
Modern Plumbing’s scope of installation includes a variety of specialty piping for liquids and gases, with a total installed piping array of 46,898 feet or nearly 8.9 miles. In addition, the installed piping will be suspended with an estimated 4,724 concrete inserts laid out from a coordinated Building Information Model (BIM). Vertical piping will pass from floor to floor via approximately 288 fire-rated floor sleeves.
Vice President Eddie Agosto said, “This project is a perfect match for our experience and training in the biomedical and health care industries. The specialty piping, fixtures and safety features in the new VGTI facility make the precision of our work crucial. We look forward to working with the rest of the construction team.”
Modern Plumbing will be self performing 99% of their installation with an estimated 16,189 man hours of trade labor, mostly from local resources.
In addition to the plumbing fixtures, Modern will be installing specialized laboratory fixtures provided by others and equipment that includes:
- Elevator sump pumps and controls
- Oil separator
- Re-circulating pumps
- Natural gas water heaters, expansion tanks and mixing valves
- Laboratory vacuum equipment and controls
- Laboratory air compressor and controls
- Domestic water triplex booster pump and controls
- Reverse Osmosis high purity water equipment and controls
- Water softening equipment and controls
Finally, the project is also nearing agreement on the incorporation of a vacuum jacketed liquid nitrogen piping system to delivery liquid gas to two locations in this high tech biomedical facility.
Although final completion is currently scheduled for March of 2012, this fast track design/build contract anticipates an earlier completion date.
Modern Plumbing Industries has been proudly serving the construction and service needs of all of Seminole County, Orange County, Osceola County and many of the areas surrounding greater Orlando since 1975. They offer a comprehensive array of services for commercial, industrial and residential customers.
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