Events & Photos 5/06/02, Construction of Grade Beams

 
Click photo above for closer view. (244 KB file).

Construction of the building's "grade beams" will progress over the next six weeks. Grade beams are the foundation walls that, along with the piers, support the building.

Truck loads of rebar are delivered daily. Some 53,000 tons of rebar will be used for grade beams. Thirty cubic yards of concrete per day is poured into the grade beam forms. Concrete trucks deposit their load into a huge bucket that is moved into position by a crane. Once in position, workmen release the concrete into the forms.

At this stage the piers are extended to the height of the grade beams. Prefabricated and custom fabricated forms are used to hold the concrete that will extend the piers.

The recent rains sometimes interrupt construction. The Storm Water Pollution Program (SWPP, pronounce as "swhip") is designed to keep all the earth and soil of the job site on the job site. Delivery vehicles and concrete trucks are restricted from entering the jobsite when it is excessively muddy. The restriction prevents job site debris from being spread on the roads of the University and from entering the storm water system, but can slow down construction progress. So far, the rains have not impacted the schedule.