Adios to the East External Aerial Lifts, the Delivery System That Moved Men, Material, Supplies, and Equipment to the Towers
The featured image is of the east elevation of the two hospital towers. The aerial lift is clearly visible as it runs up the center of the Adult Hosptial tower.
If all goes well, it is the plan for the two (2) galvanized cars, and lattice tower on which they have traveled to be dismantled on Monday, March 9, 2020. The tower began its vertical trek up the side of the Adult Hospital tower on April 12, 2018. As the steel structure’s height increased the verticle lattice tower grew in proportion: Always allowing the laborers access to the nearest floor level. The current height of the lattice tower has been set since mid-December of 2018. Since the date, the first car (at the beginning, only one car was placed into service) transported men, materials, and equipment up the side of the building to the requested floors. At first, the short run up the tower didn’t take very long, but as the tower expanded in height and the manpower increased, the travel time took longer and longer. With the pluperfect dismantling of the south lattice tower in mid-August of 2019, the east tower had to absorb some of the Children’s Hospital workers along with their materials and equipment.
The tearing down of the lattice tower will allow the cladding company to begin the make-ready work in preparation to close the leave out bay (the central vertical gap going up the side of the Adult Hospital tower) with the facade. With the closure of the east elevation, the whole structure will be sealed (for the most part) from the elements. I have noticed in recent days that there are some open areas (where entrance doors will be installed, etc.) are being temporarily boarded with plywood.
On Friday, March 3, 2020, with the aerial lifts standing down, a crew was dismantling the scaffolding that had protected the workers as they waited for the aerial lifts. The top floor of the scaffolding (the second floor) was the platform used by the laborers to dump trash into the bins, which were located on each side of the platform. This arrangement lessened the congestion on the ground level. The smaller image (inset) was the last photo I took (on 03.03.20) of the platform scaffolding before it was dismantled.A closeup of the demolition of the scaffolding around the aerial lifts.On March 3, 2020, I snapped the last still image from the aerial lift on or around the 15th floor of the Adult Hospital Tower.An excellent view from the north of the lattice tower on which the galvanized cars transported men and treasure to the various floors of the towers.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
The platform looks stark after the scaffolding was disassembled.A perfect angle to capture the full verticle image of the track, which has essentially served as the umbilical cord to the project by providing a mechanical method to transport men, supplies, materials, and equipment to each of the tower floors. Within days the Umbilical cord will be cut (dismantled) as the internal elevators come online (a few at a time) to take on the transport needs of the towers.The 16-story leave out bay located in the center of the Adult Hospital tower reveals the structural steel. After the aerial lift’s tower is removed, a crew will spray a fire-resistive material sometimes referred to as Monokote on the exposed steel. After applying the Monokote material, the company that will hang the GFRC in the leave out bay will bring in a crane to hang the GFRC.The men that made my last rides memorable: Posing in front of the south Lift are operators Brett (left), and Daniel (center left) who took me on my last rides on the external lifts. Bret took me on my last ride in the north cage. Daniel (second from the left), the lift operator for the south cage, brought John (second from the right) a journeyman with Otis Elevators, and Jimbo, project foreman for Otis Elevator), and me down from the roof of the Adult Hospital tower.
My Last Ride on the Aerial Lifts — The Video
On Friday, March 6, 2020, I took my last herky-jerky ride in the two cages that transported men, supplies, and equipment up the east side of the Loma Linda University Health Adult Hospital tower. Although these slow rides did not take place on the clearest of days, one can get an idea of the panoramic view one gets through the mesh.Come Monday morning, March 15, 2020, the leave out bay from the roof to grade is covered with tarps partly to keep out the elements and maintaining a more constant temperature. I soon learned that the dismantle crew would not be on the site and would, weather permitting, bring in a crane to finish taking down the tower.A view of the aerial lift tower from the north yard.The platform and the aerial lift cages.Dismantled aerial tower sections lay by the platform.At 7:04 AM on Monday, March 16, 2020, the crane was set, the boom up was being tested for the long day of operation. This crane is not the same crane used by the GFRC installers the night before.A view of the leave out bay and crane from Anderson Street.A closer look of the Adult Hospital Tower, leave out bay and the cable (top arrow) from the crane boom, which holds the top of the next section being dismantled. With both cages stopped fifth floor, two members of the crew (bottom arrow) stand on the top of the cages as they remove the bolts from the section above. This process will be done until all the sections have been disassembled. A nice view of the cages and towers just before the crane cable pulls on the tower section.A tower section is lowered to grade.
Removing a Section — The Video
A short video showing a section being separated from the tower in preparation to lowering it to grade. After the previous section was lowered to grade, the boom of the crane was brought down to remove the jib as it was not needed at the tower’s newly adjusted height.With the tower at the level of the second floor, a laborer works from the stub base of the tower. The elevator cages have been removed and the only equipment left were the red platform base guards or landing gates (standing).The two elevator cages/cars in the north yard will be loaded on a flat bed along with the platform base guards or landing gates.A flatbed loaded with some of the aerial lift equipment and parts.
Under the Lights
Well after the sun went down, the crew continues to load components on to the flatbed.ADIOS: At 9:03 PM, the flatbed truck loaded with the components of the cages pulled away from the construction site.
Two Days Later
Dismantling the platform in its contingent pieces by saving as much of the lumber as possible to repurpose on another project.The following day, the sun sets on the hospital towers as the rain clouds move in. Work has begun on the leave out bays in preparation for installation of the GFRC cladding.
After graduate school Dennis accepted a position at Loma Linda University. He worked there for 42 years in the areas of administration and financial management, also teaching accounting and management to dietetic students at the School of Public Health. Through the years Dennis has chronicled the growth of the campus, including the construction of the Drayson Center and the Centennial Complex and the razing of Gentry Gym. He is the author of "The Mound City Chronicles: A Pictorial History of Loma Linda University, A Health Sciences Institution 1905 - 2005." dEp 09.30.2016 🔨
