Acoustic and Energy-Efficient Windows at the IUOE Training Center
Like every industry, operating engineers are faced with keeping up with ever-improving technology. To keep pace, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) built a one-of-a-kind, hands-on training campus near Houston, Texas. Here, trainers and others from each local come to master the latest technologies and proper handling of new big equipment. IUOE has partnered with some of the biggest names in manufacturing equipment. Manufacturers have found this facility to be an economical way for users to learn how to properly operate their equipment, and the training center is a great resource to find qualified talent.
WINCO’s 3350 Fixed Acoustic Windows
With its three chillers and boilers supporting the campus, the 12,000-sf central plant building is where the IUOE “trains the trainers” in heavy machinery and regular maintenance of mechanical systems. One chiller is located inside a classroom and can be taken off-line for training purposes. Because of this special location, the architects selected WINCO’s 3350 Fixed Acoustic windows to provide clear visual for students to observe operations while receiving instruction in a quiet space. A total of 26 WINCO 3350 fixed acoustic windows with a clear anodized finish were installed throughout the central plant.
“The central plant building is the jewel for the center,” explains lead architect David Prickett, AIA. “WINCO’s acoustic windows were selected for their sound proofing properties — a necessity as the classrooms are adjacent to mechanical equipment and other outside noises from heavy equipment.”
WINCO’s 3600 Horizontal Sliders
IUOE’s massive campus includes a two-story administration building, a commercial kitchen, dining facilities and a grand ballroom that can be split into eight classrooms. WINCO windows were also called upon for use in the training center’s two attached, three-story dormitory wings. WINCO’s 3600 high performance horizontal sliders are energy efficient to combat Houston’s heat and humidity. Their durable frames will provide years of low maintenance, as well as withstand heavy use by multiple guests.
“Both types of WINCO windows were used for the IOUE Training and Conference Center for their energy efficiency and because they are the appropriate windows type for each use,” says Jim Krueger, WINCO Sales Representative.
The IUOE Training and Conference Center is expected to bring relief to manufacturing companies needing skilled workers throughout the US and Canada. Prior to its construction, union members relied on suppliers to help them learn about new equipment. Now a maximum of 220 members — operators, mechanics, welders, surveyors and stationary engineers — are able to train together at one, all-inclusive facility.