New Temple in Provo: Growing Roof In The Bitter Cold

The sky was blue and the sun was shining, but it was 17 degrees again today.

Two men near the north gable were welding, probably a great job on a cold day except for the location. I have noticed that the north and south gables are connected by one long ridge beam. The cinder block under the plastic sheet is rising.

Scaffolding is just beginning for the south gable.

This is a view of the east side of the roof from the south. A tip: if you can see Mt. Timp, you are looking north. Catwalks are on the east and west sides under the roof. The east catwalk is visible in this picture.

This view of the same catwalk is through an east window. At some point all these windows will be filled with temporary glass so the upper floor can be heated.

Cinder block rises on the east gable. A workman is visible on top of the southeast tower.

He's securing steel in the tower which will connect to the tower cap. His access to the tower, of course, is provided by Mr. Red Ladder.

I hope their view is compensation for the cold.

A ladder leads through an entryway in the tower base to the steeple.

Both cranes worked hard today. Majestic is an understatement.

The white crane was in constant motion delivering decking.

The black crane moved steel 2x4s and 2x6s into the lowest level via the stairwell on the south side.

He framed one of the men welding on the north side.

I'm still waiting for the southwest tower cap to be placed.

This view from the construction cam shows a bridge to the mechanical shop in the lower right-hand corner. I'll show you another view in a minute. Notice the concrete pump which has squeezed in behind the black crane.

I learned last week that the holes from the needle beams are very difficult to finish off with rebar. A few more were filled in today. You can see the wooden spout for the concrete behind the workman. He's covering the holes with a blanket to help the concrete cure in the cold weather. It just occurred to me that it was good planning to pour the foundation for the temple in the summer. That would have been quite a job covering it with concrete blankets.

The gap between the barrier wall and the east side of the annex is being filled in with gravel.

I got a better view of the action from the south. This little front end loader moved gravel to this side the entire time I was at the site.

The west side looks like a black waterfall after its pour this morning.

Rebar statues are growing in this lot which will support the roof of the underground parking garage.

Forms for this roof are placed as the pillars are poured. Look at the left side of this picture where the west construction barrier meets the north barrier. I was standing on the other side of the barrier at that corner when I took the next two pictures.

On the right of this photo you can see the green construction barrier between the site and the post office lot. This barrier has recently been secured, making it difficult for me to get good pictures. I liked the barrier when it was more loosey goosey, to be honest, but I'm managing. In the front of this picture are two rooms associated with the mechanical tunnel. Plywood forms covered with a special material to keep concrete from adhering are being placed over the west lot. Almost in the center of this photo is a wooden form between this roof and the mechanical shop.

This is a close-up view of that area. It can also be seen from the cam. I believe that forms will soon cover this gap.

Tempered glass is in all the ground level windows and that area is heated.

Thursday night a small fire broke out. It was caused by a bad hose from a propane tank used for heating. It was quickly contained and there was no damage, except to the nerves of us cam addicts who were watching at 5:30 and saw the fire engine racing down University.

Concrete continues to be poured in the south lot. The fenced-in pit is for the elevator base for the pavilion. The white boxes are specially-made air ducts for the mechanical tunnel.