The Week of January 15, 2018 — Introducing a New Term

With this blog, I am going to introduce you to a new word that was briefly used in the previous week’s blog. Up to now, I have referred to the big hole in the ground as the pit. For months, tons of dirt was excavated to reach the sub-grade level for construction < Down in the Pit: Before the RAT Mat is Poured *Completed*>.  After the sub-grade was reached and the shoring walls completed, the rat slab poured, reinforcing rebar laid, the four-foot foundation poured, the foundation walls poured, the isolator bases set along with the isolators, the damper pedestals set and poured. After this construction phase was completed, the construction crew was ready for the next phase–the steel ( see The Week of December 4, 2017 — The BIG Iron Begins to Arrives On Site in my blog:  <The Docuvision 2020 LLU Campus Transformation Project Blog> . When the first piece of steel was placed on the northwest corner, the construction project began a new phase. The pit phase and all that it entailed was completed. With the arrival and placement of the steel, the vertical steel phase began and the building footprint will evolve over time. The steel (buildings) rests on the isolators on top of the isolator bases. The perimeter walls of the buildings will be set in from the foundation walls anywhere from four-feet to 16-feet depending on the location of the steel. The building walls will not be anchored to the foundation walls at any point: thus the designation “Moat.” The moat or space that surrounds the footprint of the buildings will be more pronounced as the steel rises out of the pit. For safety purposes, at grade (the cap slab level) the moat covers will be installed around the perimeter and will interface with the building footprint. The moat, sans the water, also allows the building the flexibility to move sideways during any seismic activity. In that gap (aka moat) between the buildings and the foundation walls, flexible utility connections will be installed to prevent ruptures during an earthquake.

Upon arrival at the site, I was able to film a node being prepared to be offloaded from a low-bed transport.

Today was the highlight of my week! I was able to move about taking photos of what will be known as “B level (on the service elevator). Now that the metal decking has been placed over this section, a building floor or building level is evolving into what might be known as the mechanical floor: The area where the utility, A/C/heating, electrical, technical, telecommunication, and plant services will be located. There will be enough space to swap out (upgrade and/or add additional seismic inhibitors) isolators, dampers and/or perform major structural maintenance as may be required. Notice how clean the area is. The old axiom “a clean working space is a safe working space” is practiced on this construction site.

Looking west from the “B” level floor (foundation floor) one can begin to visualize the two underground levels: “B” and “A.” It will not be long before the Medical Center and the Children’s Hospital will be hidden from view from “B” and “A” levels.

A view of the decking from the same area as the previous photo. Soon a lightweight wire mesh will be stretched over the metal decking to provide additional strength to the structural lightweight concrete, which when cured, forms the floor for level “A.”

During a walkabout just outside from where the decking shadows fall, an update briefing is being conducted by assistant general superintendent Max Klinger, second from the right.

So, in the days, weeks and months to come, as the steel rise higher in the pit, the foundation walls begin to form what one might call a concrete below grade envelope that surrounds the building footprint. As the construction continues, all of the elements that are an essential part of the building structure will be interesting to watch and document.

This video clip shows two ironworkers sizing and shaking out metal decking over the steel skeleton. When completed, the floor below will be known as level “B.”

The north moat as seen from the foundation floor. The mechanical pipe (bottom right) is in the process of being welded and will be hung on the foundation wall brackets once completed.

In the photo above, smoke rises from the welder’s torch as he completes the welding process on a damper bracket. The welds attaching the brackets to the damper pedestals require precision and skill as illustrated in the following photo.

The finished product: The back end of the damper bracket welded to the damper pedestal plate. The next step will be to move the dampers into the hitch and insert the stainless steel pin rollers through the bracket holes and through the damp ring clevis.

The front end of a welded pedestal damper bracket with a damper secured in place.

I never tire of watching steel being lowered into place.

This video clip shows another piece of steel taking its rightful place in the maze of steel that forms the skeleton frame that when completed will be bolted to the top plates of 126 isolators and attached to 104 dampers connected to 52 damper pedestals.