Things are looking down — and up — at Alumni Hall. Removal of all the plaster ceiling, and a photographer willing to crawl through the incredibly dusty rafters, allows a view down into the central auditorium.
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Tag Archives: construction
Renovation Update
A worker from general contractor PJ Hoerr checks drawings during the installation of temporary steel scaffolding, visible in the background in the central section of Alumni Hall. A low-res composite panorama of this area is available on photosynth.net
Foundational Breakthrough
Steel scaffolding, anchored in the basement floor, breaks through the (yet to be removed) first floor in the central section of Alumni Hall.
Wood & Brick & Steel
Removal of the original plaster ceiling in the central auditorium enables this almost surreal view that combines wood and brick from 1890, when Alumni Hall was built, with modern structural steel beams and scaffolding, erected during the year-long renovation project.
Beam Me Up!
A worker cuts out a water-damaged beam that will be replaced during the Alumni Hall renovation.
Video: Contractor Discusses Renovation of Alumni Hall
Kirk Anderson, Vice President of P.J. Hoerr, construction contractor for the renovation of Alumni Hall, talks to alumni at Homecoming 2013 about the renovation process.
Inside View of Exterior Support System
Above, 24 threaded rods, 5/8-inch in diameter, through exterior steel buttresses and an inside steel girder, times two on the east wall, shown here, with a matching structure on the west wall.
The steel buttresses support the walls until new interior floors are installed.
Exterior Wall Support
Adjustment (above) and fastening (below) of large wooden spacers are the final steps in supporting the exterior walls of Alumni Hall during renovation.
Supporting Exterior Walls
The renovation of Alumni Hall will involve complete removal and replacement of interior floors. Because the floors are tied into the walls, temporary steel structures — not unlike the “flying buttresses” in Gothic cathedrals — will support the east and west walls for the time between removal and replacement of the floors. Above, footings were excavated for concrete bases of the steel buttresses.
Below, an ironworker welds the exterior beams.
Spreading Gravel Prior to Construction
To protect the brick sidewalk and new concrete driveway in the front of Alumni Hall from the heavy equipment that will be used during the renovation, thick plastic sheeting has been laid across the surfaces, followed by 20 truckloads of gravel. The gravel will be removed following completion of the work.