Flynn’s Site Tours initiative involves our office staff visiting job sites to see our crews in action. Led by graduates of the Flynn University for the Next Generation (FUNG), these tours help new hires learn more about Flynn work and get to know other Flynn Family.

In June, FUNG facilitators John Ngo and Hugo Huynh took three office staff from our Vancouver branch on a tour around various Flynn job sites. The attendees were estimator Rebekah Muntelwit, production control intern Cecilia Yuen and junior project coordinator Andrew Chen. All three are summer interns enrolled in Architectural Building Technology at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Pictured above are left to right Andrew, John, Rebekah, Cecilia & Hugo.

The group visited six completed and in progress projects in Vancouver where John and Hugo had either worked previously or were familiar with the project.

A coffee shop nicknamed “The Red Petal” at Great Northern Way.

The sites included Great Northern Way, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Mountain Equipment Co-op, 402 Dunsmuir mixed use office building, Minoru Aquatic Centre and Richmond Firehall.

During the tour, John and Hugo discussed the project scope, price, design, challenges and materials.

“We felt comfortable asking a lot of follow up questions to learn and maximize the experience,” Cecilia says. “I learned a lot about panel and glazing systems. Getting to physically see the site and then talking about challenges and successes with each project makes it a lot easier to understand.”

Rebekah and Andrew bonding over lunch.

Learning about the solutions associated with the various projects helped her understand how to approach difficult situations in her work, Cecilia adds. In addition, she enjoyed interacting with her co-workers. “Getting to hang out with people from the office in a casual manner helped me feel more comfortable and be a part of the team.”

Here’s a little bit about the projects.

Great Northern Way

  • Approximately 10 million sq.ft. in glazing and 1 million in cladding.
  • John described the challenges in designing the glazing connections. To successfully deliver the project, he researched new products
  • The client chose to use copper both on the exterior and interior of the building which will naturally turn green with time. Copper located inside will change colour slower because it is not exposed to the elements. One challenge with the copper panels was that dogs were urinating on panels which turned them green instantly. Glass guards were installed afterwards to prevent this.

 

Emily Carr University of Art & Design

  • Flynn crews were responsible for glazing and cladding on this project.
  • Using more colours increases the cost.

 

402 Dunsmuir

  • Flynn crews can install 30 frames per day, but the shop can produce only 6-10. This can potentially delay the job.
  • The glazing for the upper stories will be built in a different way to the ground floor. The ground floor will be put together on site rather than in the shop.

For reference, FUNG connects future leaders within Flynn and equips them with the tools necessary to facilitate their growth. This program is uniquely adapted to the needs of the next generation and explores topics such as strategy, culture, personal branding, self-development, teamwork and mentorship. Visit flynnuniversity.com and sign up for a course today.