Week 5-WTC-Mike Orosey

This was yet again another great week interning with Ideal Contracting at the WTC campus. I am receiving a variety of exposure through the PDPM projects and grateful for the opportunity I have been given this summer.  One great thing about working at the WTC is the ability to be apart of “stretch and flex” every morning to get my day started.  All of Ideal’s employees come together every morning and go through a few stretches to get the blood flowing and start the day off right.  This daily morning activity is great for company morale and brings everyone together.

 
The week started with a walk through meeting of a new hand rail project that will be taking place on the first floor of the site ops building. On Wednesday, the day started off with two meetings regarding the engineering underpass repair and the executive parking deck repair.
 

The photo above shows the extensive concrete repairs that must be done in order to fix the bottom of the engineering underpass.

This photo above was taken at the executive parking deck, which extensive concrete repairs have also taken place.  Concrete repairs have had to take place before the top of this parking deck could be waterproofed.
Later on in the day, I took part in a quick training seminar that went over the necessary inspections that must be taken place before wearing harnesses.  This is an important procedure that all workers must do daily before using harnesses in order to prevent serious life threatening injuries.  The day ended with our weekly facilities meeting at the Ideal Contracting trailer. During the week, I had several tasks that I was assigned to. I had to button up my estimate regarding the Man C bathroom noise control project and making sure that Ideal’s self-perform carpenter, taper, and labor hours were acceptable before submitting the quote to the GM representative. Furthermore, I was also in charge of receiving all pertinent quote information regarding another noise control problem at the 2^nd floor site ops command center. I was also able to check in and see the progress with regards to lobby construction at VEC mockup and the 7000 building.

 


The photos above show progress that has been made at VEC mockup.  Also shown is a damaged column that needs to be repaired before further construction can take place.  Metal will be welded to the damaged portions and then the column will be encapsulated with concrete at curb level.

The photo shown above shows one portion of construction that is taken place at the 7000 building.  Construction of this lobby must be done in phases, due to the high level of traffic that takes place at this building.
 
I was also able to run the tamper at the site pond location where Ideal is replacing 14 concrete slabs. The tamper is something I am familiar with using because of my past exposure with brick pavers. Once again, it’s always nice to get out in the field and help our trades people when I can.

 
The highlight of my week was being able to take a tour of the new hockey arena in Detroit with the rest of the interns. The DEEC is going to be an amazing venue to see the red wings and pistons play, as well as concerts that will be taking place. So much progress has been made and its mind blowing seeing how many workers are working around the clock to get this extensive project completed by the beginning of September. One interesting feature of the new arena that I learned about was the reason for gap shown below between the base plate and the steel hollow column.

This air gap allows the steel hollow column to breathe during expansion and contraction because of the rate of expansion that comes with steel in general. After tour we all gathered for dinner at a local nearby bar. It was great to talk with everyone after the tour and get everyone’s perspective about the new arena. It’s great getting all this exposure this summer to various construction projects. Interning with Ideal Contracting is a great opportunity to learn the business. I am excited for the upcoming exposure and challenges that I will encounter.  Thanks again for another great week!