The International Training Institute Brings New Opportunities in Architectural Sheet Metal

The International Training Institute Brings New Opportunities in Architectural Sheet Metal

By / Sheralyn Belyeu Photos by Roger A. Reed, courtesy of Standard Sheet Metal

“Composite materials are transforming the architectural sheet metal market,” said Jason Ferguson, apprentice coordinator at the Local 2 JATC in Kansas City, Missouri. “We’re not seeing the same old brick and mortar buildings anymore. Using composite materials through sheet metal contractors brings buildings far more personality.”

The changing market is opening up new opportunities for sheet metal workers and contractors. “Architectural work for SMART membership over the last five years has seen a major increase in market growth,” said James Page, administrator of the ITI. “The conversation itself has changed from an ornamental restoration conversation to a building envelope exterior system conversation and all the intricacies that come with it.”

Kansas City’s Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) illustrates the potential for architectural sheet metal. Standard Sheet Metal (SSM) of Kansas City designed and fabricated aluminum composite material panels for the award-winning building skin. Each clear anodized aluminum panel features two bends to produce the distinctive look the designer envisioned.

The parapet was one of the more complex issues with this project. “The coping on the MIC was like none other I’ve experienced in my 29 years in the trade,” says Jerry Fuller, field superintendent for SSM. “It followed the profiles of the wall panels that recessed in and out. We had to punch each piece of coping in our press punch. We did a couple of mockups to fine tune the look we were after.”

Another challenge was ensuring that the panels’ finished dimensions remained consistent from panel to panel. “The panels were fabricated on 24-inch finished dimensions,” says Todd McLellan, project manager and estimator for SSM. “Any variations from that during fabrication could have ruined the efficiency and layout on the install.”

McLellan attributes the success of the project to a highlyskilled workforce. “Local 2 provided assistance in all aspects of the project,” he says. “From the initial panel layouts and technical properties of the dimensions, to the craftsmanship in fabrication of the panels, and then in finalizing the project, the skilled hands of the installers ensured that the panels fit and looked as the design team dreamed.”

Fuller adds that the team comprising SSM and Local 2 craftspersons fabricated several internal mock-ups and had numerous meetings on game planning to create the design that the architect intended. “

In the early stages of the design, we fabricated two vertical panels for the general contractor and the architect to review,” Fullers says. “The mock-ups demonstrated that we would produce what they were looking for.”

This early input contributed to the project’s ultimate triumph. “Companies see the value of bringing in someone with field experience and utilizing them in a detailing role,” Ferguson says. “It helps the whole job come together more smoothly. You also see the benefit of well-rounded training. All aspects of training from start to finish are involved on a project like the MIC.”

The Kansas City JATC offers Local 2 members intensive and specialized training to prepare them for work completing custom architectural sheet metal projects. Local 2 has a fiveyear apprenticeship with training in layout, fabrication, welding, and architectural installation training along with the HVAC and industrial training.

“We also have training courses in AutoCAD, which we rely on when working on projects like MIC,” Fergason says. “We are trained on creating blueprints and shop drawings and on programming our complex equipment, such as laser sheet metal cutting machines, punch press, and computer press brakes.”

The focus on architectural sheet metal recognizes the special challenges that cutting-edge materials pose. “When we think of sheet metal, we often envision thinner sheets, like those used in ductwork,” Ferguson explains. “Composite materials are different because of the thickness. They are like doing an industrial job on the exterior of a building.”

The Kansas City JATC is constantly updating architectural sheet metal training for Local 2 members and maintains positive relationships with local and national manufacturers.

“Right now when one of our contractors wins a bid, our members go to the manufacturer for training, as needed,” Ferguson says. “We plan to move the training to the JATC, so we’re building mock-ups for training on site. Manufacturers will bring in components and the correct equipment to install their products.”

Ferguson also recently sent an instructor to Philadelphia to learn directly from ITI’s Dan McCallum. “McCallum helps make connections with industry to bolster our training,” Ferguson says.

Besides offering courses for JATC instructors, McCallum runs the ITI’s Architectural Strike Force Training—intense courses focused on the requirements of installing a particular manufacturer’s products (see Partners in Progress, vol. 12 number 5). “From a manufacturer’s point of view, it is about the required knowledge that a trained workforce needs to have when installing proprietary systems,” Page explains.

Architectural sheet metal is just one part of the ITI’s plan to build a strong future for SMART and SMACNA. “As building codes change, we have a chance to strengthen our hold on the market,” Ferguson says. “We offer certificates in many different aspects of construction, from architectural sheet metal to fire life safety, so we are in a strong position to pick up new projects.”

ITI’s dedication to expanding the architectural sheet metal market is paying big dividends for SSM and Local 2. “With the success of the MIC, we have received calls directly from architects in the early stages on several new projects asking to help team up with the designs and concepts,” Fuller says.

“The MIC project has intrigued other architects and designers who are after a similar look or have questions about whether or not a specific look could be achieved,” McLellan says. “They can visit the mock-up located on the side of our building and physically see what their project could look like. They see that we can make their vision come to life.” ▪

The Future of Architectural Sheet Metal

In the International Training Institute’s view, the building envelope industry is a booming market with endless opportunities for longterm growth, says James Page, the ITI’s training coordinator. With each new system designed by a manufacturer, there is a support structure of companies that provide components to those systems, and a trained workforce that is approved and certified to install the systems. ITI is working closely with manufacturers so SMART is recognized as the skilled workforce prepared to do that job. ITI is the fund that provides the skilled training to meet the need.

The ITI is repurposing the vast amount of existing curriculum that’s been developed over years past and breaking it down to focused modules of training that include hands-on practice trainers. It has revisited some conversations in soldering and produced a short training piece to address soldering qualification testing and documentation for soldering certifications.

Although the ITI continues to support multi-year training programs in architectural metal work, it has become clear that many Locals do not have the luxury of time when the call comes in that a signatory contractor needs a trained workforce for a project-specific system. The ITI addresses that need aggressively with strike force training. In this program the ITI, local union leadership, JATCs, contractors, manufacturers, and members work in collaboration through focused training to provide a qualified labor force.

Learn more at

• www.sheetmetal-iti.org/

• www.smacna.org/news/smacnews/article/smacnewsseptember-2018---the-robotics-revolution/fabricating-angledpanels-for-missouri-innovation-campus

• smart-union.org/news/architectural-sheet-metal-strike-forcetraining-allows-focused-learning/ ▪

A Colorado native, Sheralyn Belyeu lives and writes deep in the woods of Alabama. When she’s not writing, she grows organic blueberries and collects misspellings of her name.