The Week of February 5, 2018 — The Changing Face of the Existing Hospitals

After a full week of going vertical (excluding one down day for boom repair) with the columns, the skeleton frame is beginning to change the face of the existing hospital. This phase will occur slowly at first, but as the steel continues to rise out of the pit and extend vertically above the protective walls and windscreen, the outline of the buildings will become more evident: the first to rise above the protective walls will be the framework of the podium (base) from which the two towers will rise. Because of a slope in grade from Barton Road north, the podium will top out at five stories above grade.

This artist rendering is a good representation of the podium and the two towers that rise from it. The elevation of the Children’s Hospital tower is approximately the height of the existing Medical Center towers, whereas the Adult Hospital tower ( at its highest point) will rise another eight stories above the existing towers. As of this week, the steel columns, that have been set, rise two-stories above grade on the north, east and west sides. On the south side, the columns rise one-story above grade.

Vertical layout of the structural steel grid by section. For perspective, note that the vertical columns in the foreground are two-stories tall above grade.

The grid for the steel erection/layout by section. The steel will begin to rise in the northwest section of the pit. Once Section 1 reaches two-stories above grade, columns will be set in Section 2, the southwest section of the pit. After Section 2 levels out with Section 1, the ironworkers will move to Section 3, the northeast section of the pit. The final section to be completed at two-stories above grade, the next three-story columns will be placed. Once the all of the columns and decking have been placed, the steel frame for the podium will be completed at five-stories above grade. The steel towers will rise from the podium.

A photo of how the steel structure looked on Friday, February 2, 2018.

When I arrived on site on Monday, February 5, 2018, I noticed that the ironworkers had been hard at work on Sunday, February 4. Additional columns had been placed and girders had been set above grade to the right.

From grade looking to the southwest from the northeast corner of the pit.

A view from the pit: Both cranes are at work lowering girders into place.

A view from grade at the southwest section of the pit.

In the shadow of the hanging overhead girder, Kenny makes his way across the girder where he will bolt it to the column.

Jason and Kenny work in tandem to release the cable from the girder.

Soon after the girder was bolted to the columns, Kenny (right) pauses for a sip of water while Jason makes his way to the opposite column.

As the sun slides behind the Children’s Hospital, Kenny with a sledgehammer over his shoulder makes his way across a girder. Try this for a morning workout!