IMI Working to Put Entire Building Enclosure Under BAC Control

JOURNAL: ISSUE 3 - 2012

"If we don't go for the entire building enclosure, we are leaving hours on the table," says BAC President and IMI Co-Chair James Boland. That's why BAC and IMI are working together to increase work opportunities in the entire building enclosure.  As building owners, construction managers and designers move toward a single contractor to provide much of the enclosure, IMI is training, educating and providing programs to position BAC members as the installers of the wall, floor and related accessories as a high performing system.

Wisconsin members Xay Yang of Local #21, left, and Jamey Butler of Local 7, working for J.H. Findorff & Son, Inc., install a natural stone rain screen with custom stainless steel anchors on a project in Madison, WI.

BAC Local 21 IL member Janusz Chwalek installs a termination bar.

"There are many more man hours involved in installing air barriers, vapor, moisture and thermal control along with the masonry than there are in doing only the brick or tile finish" says IMI Director of Industry Development David Sovinski, "so we need to make sure BAC members are trained in all the components that make up a building enclosure, and BAC contractors are well versed in bidding the work."

Educating construction managers and building owners that BAC is ready and able to install the entire building envelope is a key part of the strategy. IMI works with these groups to show our training programs in air barriers, spray foam insulation, flashing upgrades, rain screen systems and many more product and system specific training programs to meet the needs of today's building enclosure.

IMI's Director of Apprenticeship and Training Robert Arnold Robert Arnold applies an air barrier, left, and installs a transition strip over a control joint, right, on an addition of the District Council Training Center in Addison, IL.

IMI also works to ensure that BAC signatory contractors know how to bid the scope of the enclosure and that we are ready to install. IMI's Contractor College and Sustainable Masonry Certification Program help fill that need.

Other products and systems within the BAC scope of work are also part of a high performing building enclosure. IMI works with manufacturers and suppliers for a variety of these products, including terra cotta screen walls, porcelain veneers, thin stone panels as well as a variety of backup systems and many other systems that give us more man hours.

Bottom line? The construction industry is demanding a single source for installation of the enclosure – and IMI is working to give those man hours to BAC members.