2010 BX Craftsmanship
Award Recipient

The creativity of John “Critter” Christian is evident in the elastomeric rubber insulation of the chilled water system in the Central Energy Plant at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Original specifications called for enclosing the chilled water pumps in insulated boxes; however, the owner was familiar with Christian’s work at Dublin Methodist Hospital and requested an upgrade to rubber insulation installed by the craftsman. Christian led a crew of four to complete the unique installation.

Elastomeric rubber is supplied in large sheets or rolls. With no template to follow, it was up to Christian to visualize the finished product and develop the pieces needed to achieve the desired look.

One challenge faced by Christian and his crew was ensuring that each component is fully insulated, but also accessible for service. While only a few seams are visible, the insulation for each pump is made up of 96 separate pieces.

Christian has been employed by The Sandel Corp. for 18 of his 30 years in the trade.

A first-time Craftsmanship Award winner, Christian was recognized by the Army Corps of Engineers in the mid-1990’s for his work at the DCSC, now the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC).

This year, the Builders Exchange will honor 12 Craftsmanship Award recipients at the BX Annual Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010, at the Aladdin Shrine Center, 3850 Stelzer Rd.

Updated 8/3/2010