As the exterior walls and windows are being put in place, the inside walls are starting to be framed and you can see the rooms and hallways of the new ED and lab take shape.
The view of the outside of the new ED from under the new ambulance entrance over-hang
The new ambulance entrance over-hang
This will be the main entrance for the public.
The first floor of the ED
The lab, which will be located in the basement, will have two skylights to let in some natural light
Looking out through the new windows of the new ED
The ED windows from the outside
A white covering is placed on the roof that will reflect sunlight, making it easier to keep the building cool in the summer
This is the covering up close. It is pasted on and then sealed shut through a welding process.
The roof is almost completely covered with the reflection covering. It is extremely bright and almost impossible to see on the roof without sunglasses (I know from experience!).
A beam from the new ED/Lab construction project was placed in the cafeteria for a few days so CMMC employees and visitors could sign their name and write a message on the beam. Here are the photos of the beam being lifted up to be added to the new structure.
Construction continues on the new Ed and Lab, and we can now the the floors of the building starting to take shape. Here are a few photos of my most recent tour, and on Monday I will be videotaping as they pour the concrete for the first floor.
Getting the first floor ready to pour concrete
Side view of the new ED front entrance
These are the new rock walls that will not only serve in the landscaping, but they are also retaining walls that support the front drive thru entrance.
The side of the new ED where the ambulance entrance will be
Construction continues on the new ED/Lab and working conditions have been great with all the nice weather we have had lately. Here some photos of what’s been going on the past couple of weeks.
March 26, 2010
Here they are closing in one of the elevator shafts. This elevator will be added in a future construction project.
This is the form for the base of the overpass which will cover the ambulance drop off area.
This last photo for that day shows the workers securing the metal roofing which will later be covered in concrete.
April 2, 2010
They have added the steel for the overpass structure which will cover the main entrance to the ED.
Another view of the main entrance overpass structure.
This last photo shows the work that is being done to prep the floor of the steel structure for concrete.
The next step in the project is pouring the concrete roof. I was able to get some video of this work and will be posting that early next week, so stayed tuned to see that process in action!
Construction has begun on the site, which means steel beams are going up! This was really exciting to watch and on my tour I got the opportunity to get a birds-eye view of project.
The steel for the elevator shaft is now up. The next step is to pour the concrete pads at the base of the elevator.
Here we see preparation for a canopy that will be built where ambulances will stop for patient drop off. Since construction preparation continues here, this will be the last pieces of steel that will be added during this phase of project.
Steel Work In Progress
If you look closely, you will multiple people working to stabilize the steel beam on the right, which was being brought around by the crane. Once the beam was stabilized, it was bolted down.
Steel beams are being set in place for the new ED by steel workers and an exceptionally tall crane. The crane being used on this project is 163ft tall and is in fact so tall, that we had to get clearance with the FAA before it could be used on the site!
The process of adding each beam takes multiples steps executed by people who are specially trained in steel work. First, the beams are transported by the crane to the steel structure. Below you see two workers attaching three beams to the crane cable for transportation.
Next, the beams are brought over to the structure and the workers on the structure must grab a robe attached to the end of the beam. Once they get a hold of the rope, they pull the beam in so they can place it where it needs to go. These beams are extremely heavy so crane operators must go through rigorous training before they can work on jobs like this because one wrong move could knock a worker off the structure.
If you look closely you can see the ropes attached to each beam. There are two workers on the structure awaiting the steel – one grabs the rope and beam, and the other stabilizes the worker who is reaching out for the steel.
They got it!
To attach the steel, the beam is bolted down to the existing structure and once it’s secure, the steel workers walk across the beam to attach it at the other end.
One end is attached, now they must go across. Hope they’re not afraid of heights!
Attaching the other end of the beam.
Birds-Eye View of the Project
At the end of my tour I got the opportunity to go onto the roof of 12 High Street to take a look at the project from above.
Here we see steel on the roof of the hospital. This is being stored up here for a later phase of the project, which involves the building directly behind the new structure.
As the concrete pours continue, we are starting to see the new shape of the new ED and lab.
Below you can see the outside walls of the new structure.
The left wall above has been created by using concrete and rebar. Multiple pieces of rebar are woven together and wood is used to create a form that allows the workers to pour the concrete covering the rebar; the wooden forms will be eventually removed.
Here rebar is woven together to prepare for another concrete wall.
Safety of the new structure is an extremely high priority, which means every material used on the job site is checked to ensure the highest standards are met. This includes the concrete. During one my tours I was able to watch the concrete put through a series of tests. A sample is taken from each batch of concrete and is used strictly for testing.
The first test is temperature. Above you can see a white thermometer in the concrete.
The next test is called a slump test. To prepare for the test they take a cone and fill it with the concrete. As they fill the cone, they stop every couple of scoops of concrete to settle the mixture by pushing a rod into the concrete 15 times. Once the cone is filled, the cone form is removed and they measure how far the concrete slumps down.
The third test that is done measures how much air is in the concrete mixture. First a small container is filled using the same rod technique as the slump test. Once the container is full, a lid with a device that measures excess air is secured on top of the bucket.
Taking a reading on the amount of air in the concrete.
The last test they run on the concrete tests the strength of the concrete when it has solidified. Eight cylindrical containers are filled, again using the rod method. The concrete is then allowed to harden and strength test are done at 7,14 and 28 day intervals.
The concrete is not only being used for walls of the structure, but it is also being poured to create “pads” that steel beams will be connected to.
Pouring a floor pad.
At the center of each pad are four large bolts that will connect the steel beams to the pad. The steel beams will support the new structure.
As you saw in the previous entry, the base of the elevator pit was prepared and concrete was poured. Now that the base is complete, it was time to move on to the walls of the pit. The walls of the pit are also concrete and below you will the see the wall forms that were created in preparation for the concrete pour. The walls forms were created with a wooden outside wall and steel rebar was weaved throughout the forms.
Rebar comes in multiple sizes based on the width of the actual bar and the different sizes are used in varying projects depending on the weight that needs to be supported. The elevator pit walls required #6 and #7 rebar.
These piles of rebar are all different sizes, lengths and some are straight, while others are bent at various angles. Each size and style is ordered specifically for the different jobs that must be completed on the construction site.
Each pile of rebar is labeled with tags like shown in the image above that tell the size of the rebar (this is #9) and other information about the rebar.
Over at the site of the new Ed, the underpinning project continues. There are 57 individual underpinnings that will be done throughout the whole project. In the photo above you will see “28” spray painted onto the wall. These numbers continue along the wall and label all 57 of the underpinnings.
Here is a recently completed underpinning that is covered with tarps to protect the freshly poured concrete.
Before wrapping up my tour, the concrete trucks arrived to start pouring the elevator pit walls. It takes multiple truck loads to pour the concrete walls and it is essential that once one truck empties, the next truck is already there waiting. Especially with the cold weather, it is important that there is little to no time between pours otherwise cold joints form in the concrete reducing continuity in the concrete structures.
The concrete is poured onto this conveyor belt, which moves the concrete to the rubber hose at the end.
Demolition finished up in December and work begins to prepare for building the new structure. Crews are focused on pouring the elevator shaft and an underpinning operation that will support the currently hospital structure. Learn more in the video below.
We decided to try something a little different on my last tour so you could get a better idea of what is happening on the construction site. Here is a video of my most recent construction tour with Jim.
