The beauty of constructing your own building is using your own products, and that’s exactly what Viega LLC just finished doing with the efforts of Braconier Plumbing and Heating Co. The new Colorado Seminar Center will open in April and is next door to the company’s new permanent headquarters building that opened for business on January 2, 2019.
A host of Viega products was put to work in the seminar center and headquarters building. There’s ProPress behind the walls to provide potable water. Radiant heating and cooling keep the buildings comfortable and snowmelt was installed in select outdoor areas. MegaPress connects the fire sprinkler system, and MegaPressG fittings were used on the natural-gas lines. The modern bathrooms feature in-wall carriers and touchless flush plates.
Take a closer look at everything the seminar center has to offer – and see how Viega’s products were put to use. The Colorado Seminar Center is a much-needed addition to the Viega family. Viega is a leader in the plumbing and piping industry and has consistently trained its customers at the New Hampshire Seminar Center since it opened in 2006. In 2018 alone, more than 5,000 people were trained there, so a second seminar center in Colorado provides ample opportunity to double down on education efforts.
“We’re expanding our capabilities, and we hope to attract more people to come to training overall,” said Bo DeAngelo, Manager of Technical Training. “We’d like to capture more attendees from west of the Mississippi, but both seminar centers are open to all regions.” The state-of-the-art seminar center provides top-rate instruction from seasoned industry pros. Topics include everything from press technology to piping industry best practices to fire protection and many more. Viega’s team of trainers bring their extensive knowledge from the field to the classroom.“Demand for training has been increasing steadily under the leadership of our Director of Technical Services Jason McKinnon,” said Viega CEO Dave Garlow. “This facility will allow us to continue to provide and expand on the training that our industry deserves.”
The Colorado Seminar Center also features an Interactive Learning Center, which allows attendees to see, touch and experience Viega product while learning about its many capabilities. The video and content-rich environment provides a hands-on experience unlike any other in the industry. It is the second ILC (the original one, newly revamped, is at the New Hampshire Seminar Center), created by award-winning Matrex Exhibits.
More than 150 employees settled in at the new headquarters building at the beginning of the year, excited to be out of a cramped, leased office and into a permanent home where there’s plenty of room for the company to grow. With the opening of the Colorado Seminar Center just around the corner, customers are encouraged to register for a training and check out Viega’s new home.
- “We’ve been using ProPress for years. And even with large jobs, we have no callbacks, so it’s a huge advantage,” said Tom Stone, President of Braconier. “It saves on labor, for sure.”
- Instead of traditional ceilings – where things like piping and wiring are normally hidden – the buildings have exposed ceilings. The fire sprinkler system, provided via MegaPress fittings, for example, hangs visible. Hanging among large wooden beams of cross laminated timber (CLT), the carbon steel and MegaPress fittings provide a clean, straight look.
- The radiant manifolds incorporate a variety of Viega products into one solution. Copper lines with ProPress provide the water supply, and water flows from the manifold through carbon steel lines with MegaPress fittings. Once to the radiant locations, water travels through radiant tubing.
- Viega snowmelt products were used in select locations outside the seminar center and headquarters to keep sidewalks and entryways clear, no matter the weather.
- With wall-hung bowls and no exposed tanks, the restroom facilities are modern and sleek, complete with Viega in-wall carriers and “Visign for More 100” style flush plates.
- The Colorado Seminar Center marked the largest radiant job Braconier has ever installed. More than 36,000 linear feet of tubing was laid, combined between the two buildings. In the seminar center, bare concrete floors are comfortable year-round because they are heated and cooled by radiant products.
