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Client: Eisenmann Corporation / DaimlerChrysler
Location: Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Project Type: Vehicle Manufacturer
Contract Amount: $24,000,000 USD
Delivery Method: Construction Management
Project Size: 400,000 sq. ft.
Start Date: July 2005
Completion Date: August 2006
Architect/Engineer: B.E.I. Associates, Inc.

Eisenmann Corporation / DaimlerChrysler - Phase II Paint Shop Addition

Alberici Constructors, Ltd. served as construction manager at DaimlerChrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant to construct a new paint shop addition.   The 400,000 SF paint shop addition is part of a major investment by DaimlerChrylser in their Windsor Assembly plant and has transformed the paint shop operations into a best-in-class facility through the use of new technologies.

After unexpected delays due to late design, project scope changes, and client negotiations, the project was able to get underway.  Given the delay of the project starting, adjustments had to be made to the overall schedule.  One of the most notable areas that was affected by the schedule delay was the pouring of concrete. 

With the project kicking-off in August of 2005 this meant that the concrete program, slab on grade and slab on deck would be placed through the winter months. The cold weather conditions required a solution that would prevent both frost penetration into the ground below the new concrete, and as well, to keep the concrete's core temperature high enough that it could cure during the hydrating phase. Conventional heating systems were insufficient as sections of the building would not be enclosed within a building envelope and consequently the heat generated by propane/gas heaters would be lost to the atmosphere. A heating system within the concrete itself was required.

After much research and consultation with local suppliers, a radiant heat system was identified as an ideal application for this problem and a design was developed and implemented for this project. The system consisted of several thousand feet of high density tubing that was fixed to the surface on which the new concrete was poured. A Glycol/water mixture was circulated through the tubing to a heat exchanger where the temperature of the water could be controlled. The system operates very similar to a car's radiator only instead of cooling down the water as is done by the radiator; the exchanger was used to heat the water. Once the concrete achieved specified strength the heat exchanger is disconnected, the system drained, and the tubing pumped solid with grout.