Day 292-294: 16-18 August 2013

Friday and Saturday were busy days as the steelworkers and carpenters put the finishing touches on their part of the job, checking and double-checking to make sure that everything is in readiness for the pouring of the concrete, scheduled to begin at 3:00 AM, Monday. 

Friday, 16 August

Saturday, 17 August

One of the finishing touches was the trimming of the large circular pipe mounted high on the wall. Again i marvel at the skill and nerves of these workers, cutting through heavy steel pipe with a torch while standing in a cherry picker. 

Sunday, 18 August

No work was done today. Everything sits in readiness for the return of the crew in the middle of the night. If the noise wakes me up, i'll snap a few pictures. There are a couple sets of flood lights at the ready, so it promises to be as bright as it is loud. 

Just imagine, all of this intricate work will soon be encased in concrete, never to be visible again.

Day 291: 15 August 2013

According to this notice that i found blowing down Farwell Ave. the big pour is officially scheduled to begin at 3:00 AM (shriek!!!) on Monday. There's been a lot of checking of blueprints, last minute fine tuning, and seemingly high stress levels in the past few days as the crew works to complete the steelwork and wooden forms on time. 

It's strange to think that this beautiful and intricate structure will soon be encased in concrete, hidden from view forever. I feel privileged to have such a unique vantage point and to be one of the very few people who have actually seen it in its entirety. 

Pardon the condition of this image, but as i mentioned, i found this notice blowing down the street.
I then folded it up and carried it around in my pocket for a couple of hours. It's surprising that it's still readable.

Hey, buddy, get out of the cage. The concrete is coming!

The view at midnight

Day 290: 14 August 2013

Preparations for the big pour continue. The last i heard, the concrete should be getting done early next week. But since i don't have the same kind of contact with the current crew as i've had with the other crews in the past, i can't give much more definitive information. As always, i encourage anyone on the crew to leave a comment, send an email, or stop me when i walk past in the morning if my information or terminology is incorrect. One of the most positive aspects of this experience has been that i've learned a lot about what things are and how they work from the workers on the job. 

PS. I could really use a few new stickers for my commemorative hardhat.

Monday, 12 August.

Tuesday, 13 August. 

I've mentioned a few times that i think this work must cause some backaches. Here are just a few examples of the constant bending and stooping that is part of this stage of the work. These pictures also show just how dense the mesh of rebar has become. The man in the third picture is applying either paint or a protective finish to the end cut on a piece of rebar that had to be trimmed to fit the space.

Wednesday, 14 August. 

I was just a few seconds too late to get a picture of the worker on the left as he climbed up
to his position on the walers. He reminded me a little of the contestants on American Ninja Warriors
doing the monkey-peg climb. There, my dirty little secret is out:when i'm not watching Fassbinder films
or reading poetry, i like to watch American Ninja Warriors. Ha!

Day 285: 9 August 2013

And the award for walking a tightrope while carrying two ten-foot lengths of rebar goes to ....

Day 284: 8 August 2013

The view from ground level: Wednesday evening

These pictures, taken early this morning, give an indication of just how much rebar is going into this thing. The wooden walls are also being reinforced by the carpenters so they'll be strong enough to contain the concrete when the big pour begins. I am constantly amazed by the agility of the steelworkers, walking along lengths of rebar like tightrope walkers, but i'm even more amazed that they can crawl into this rebar cage and not have a panic attack. I would be screaming in a claustrophobic frenzy. 

I haven't been taking quite as many picture in the past few days because the work is somewhat repetitive and labor intensive. In addition to adding layer after layer of rebar, the steelworkers carry a spool of thin wire on their belts and secure all the points where one piece of rebar crosses another. As you might imagine, this is time-consuming work.

Day 281: 5 August 2013

The wooden barrier has been extended to show what i assume will be the southern end of the foundation.

The web of rebar is becoming so intricate, that the workers look like Spiderman as they navigate their way through it.  

Day 278: 2 August 2013

Yesterday, another load of rebar arrived...

...and today it was added to the existing network of supports. This must be tiring work. The first picture below shows a worker negotiating the series of ladders between the old street level, the "moat," and the concrete pad.

This next picture shows how the workers have to perform a kind of tightrope walk to make their way through the site, balancing on the narrow rebar.

Another bundle of rebar is brought in. My back aches just watching the workers bent over tying all those pieces of rebar together. 

Because of the labor-intensive nature of the rebar work, there's been a much larger crew on the worksite lately. It was a nice surprise to see some familiar, friendly faces on the job today.