November 12, 2009 Update

Some of the concrete walls have been poured.  The structure in the left foreground is an air intake.

 

 

 

Preparing to pour footings.  The concrete is delivered from the concrete truck via a chute to wheelbarrows and then manually placed.  The grid between the form boards is iron rebar that are tied together with steel wires.  This serves to reinforce the concrete.

 

Lower level has been backfilled with “CA-7",” which is a graded crushed stone.  That is, the stone are of relatively uniform size.  What looks like Kraft paper laid over stone, is actually a product called Cetco Ultraseal.  This is a multilayered waterproofing material that combines natural sodium bentonite and a chemically resistant hydrophilic polymer to form a bentonite-polymer alloy (BPA).  The is material has swelling properties that seal small concrete cracks.  The “paper” is simply overlapped. 

Electricians installing conduits under L-107.

Cioni Excavating crane rest atop a massive pile of earth at the southeast corner of the site.

2nd floor:  Note copper heating and cooling piping along the brick wall in the background.  Metal studs, that define the walls, in the foreground.

Architect Dan Weese photographs wood windows on the east side of the 2nd floor.

The 95 year old window frames are being carefully stripped of layers of paint.

After all the paint has been stripped, the wood will be treat with a special epoxy product that will fill any gaps, sanded smooth and repainted.

Building the west basement

The west basement will house the bulk of the mechanical equipment that will serve the building.  Although it is difficult to perceive it in a photo, the excavation is quite deep:  Two stories (20 feet). The adjacent earth, which is very sandy, is held back with steel sheets driven into the ground.  The large, horizontal steel tubes, called whalers, serve to keep this temporary steel “wall” from buckling inward.  The bottom of the excavation is inches above the water table.  What appear to be walls (some spray painted blue) are forms that define the foundation wall.  After the form construction is completed, which includes the steel reinforcement within them, the void between the forms will be filled with concrete.  Many, many truckloads of concrete.  After the concrete has hardened, the forms will be removed (“stripped”) and the new foundation walls will be visible.

When completed, the mechanical room will be entirely subterranean, topped with a new set of stairs, an entry plaza and landscaping.

I shoot with my camera set to record at 9 megapixels and the image files range from about 3,500 to 5,500 pixels in width, depending on the amount of detail and color in the subject.  I normally reduce the image size to 1,000 pixels wide and format the image for viewing on the web.  i.e. so the images load quickly.  However, I really like the amount of detail in the following image, so posted the original image size(3,456 x 2,592 pixels), however, optimized for faster loading.  Click the image to see the steel (“rebar”) between the forms.

The next photo shows the south end of the building.  The foundation wall below the existing fireplace in “the treaty room” (Room 108) has been reinforced with steel and the foundation wall opened.  A second basement will be constructed on the south end of the building and the opening in the foundation wall will be part of a new corridor.

Carpet

Away from the dust and noise . . . an afternoon at the Mart selecting carpet.

August - September

There has been a great deal happening at Harris in the last two months and the site has been overrun with equipment and simmering with activity.  One day, in August, I counted twelve pieces of machinery on site.  i.e. backhoes, telescoping booms, cranes, etc.  Most of it was in use! 

This time there are two movies documenting the activities at Harris Hall, plus a bonus video.   Dan Weese and I have been talking about congas and bongos (see separate posting on this HERE), so when we heard drumming just outside the construction fence, we had to investigate.  The bonus video, called BOOMSHAKA (after the drumming group) documents what we discovered beyond the fence.  Enjoy.

The BONUS video:

June-July

The image above shows the massive built-up steel beam (four feet high!) that spans above the auditorium (a.k.a. room 107).  This beam carries the (rather significant) load of the building above.  Impressive.

My last posting, I learned from two friends, was blocked from viewing in China.  Evidently these Harris Hall updates are either too controversial or subversive; hopefully not blocked after a qualitative review.  It brings the image to mind of a person similar in disposition as the listener in “The Lives Of Others.” This post is dedicated to that person, should he/she exist, and comes with a personal message:  “Go ahead, let it be.”  The following short movie, certainly to be blocked as well, is a synopsis of the activities at Harris Hall during June and July.  Turn up the volume good and loud! 

Trees

There is a wonderful grove of trees on the west side of Harris Hall; the front side of the building.  When we first started the project, I was extremely protective of the trees, instructing contractors to make awkward maneuvers to avoid damaging them or their roots.  It wasn’t long, however, before quite a number of them had to be removed to make way for new chilled water and steam piping.  And then there was the steam vault.  Another couple of trees gave up their places.  Finally, in June, the reality of the two additions and the earth retention system presented itself:  Yet more trees had to go.  It was painful, particularly for me, since I hate to remove any vegetation at all.  To wit:  When my wife and I built our cabin in Door County, we spent hours tagging and untagging trees with the goal of removing as few trees as possible and only the smallest ones.  Each one was devastating loss, taken to create what is now an oddly meandering driveway.  Fast forward to Harris Hall, and I was playing the same game with Dan Weese.  Tagging trees and untagging trees, hoping to save one or two.  In the end, a large number of trees had to go.  With all the infrastructure work and the additions, there was no way around it.  It was staggering at the time.

As we examined each tree, we began finding fault with them (where we could), to assuage our guilt.  “This one has barely any leaves anyway.”   “Now that the larger one is gone, this scrawny thing looks silly.”  “This isn’t is a tree at all; is an overgrown bush!”  “This thing will fall over anyway (see photo below), when we excavate for the chilled water line (which was true)”

Mid-spring, high winds felled a large branch of a grand old elm on the east side of the building.  The old elm, a spectacular shade tree, was sick (Dutch Elm Disease) and had to come down as well.  Then there was the small forest of pines at the southeast corner, between Harris and West Fairchild.  Installing earth retention demanded that at least half of the trees be removed.  The remaining few would look like orphans. Eventually, we accepted the fact that a new and better landscape plan will be planted next year.  Nevertheless, we lament their loss.

Masonry restoration coordination

Although the facade of Harris Hall appears to be in generally good condition, there is considerable restoration and cleaning that is needed.  After all the building is nearly 100 years old.  Some of the stone is cracked or spalled (see photo below for a sample of a spall) and has to be replaced or repaired.  About 25% of the mortar joints need to be ground out and re-grouted.  The parapet is in poor shape and has to be taken apart and re-built.  Lastly, there is general dirt and moss that needs to be cleaned.  The following photos were taken during a June 16, 2009 meeting with the masonry contractor.  At the same time as the masonry coordination meeting, representatives of the architectural firm, Wiss Janey Elstner, engaged by Turner, were inspecting the building for the purpose of preparing an existing conditions survey.

Dan Weese – Jimmy Z (mason) – Don McDougal

Dan Weese – Don McDougal - Jimmy Z (mason)

WJE representative inspecting south facade.

Example of a “spall.”  Spalling can occur for a variety of reasons.  i.e. a rusting anchor can expand behind the stone and exert sufficient pressure to spall the stone.  Settlement or some other pressure exerted from behind the stone can cause a spall.  Simple freeze-thaw action, if water penetrates behind the stone, can cause a spall. 

This photo shows the moss and dirt that has to be scraped and cleaned from the parapet on the north side of the building.