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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Finding Our Niche

I was delighted to see this niche at the base of the northeast tower filled in this afternoon.  The original niches had plaster, but the niches in the temple will each have a veneer of quartzitic sandstone.
I've called this stone limestone before.  Recently I've been calling it quartzite.  The final word is quartzitic sandstone, very durable and obviously beautiful.
Some of you have been concerned that the brick added to the north gable didn't seem to match the brick from the wall below.  This week the brick on the north gable wall was cleaned.  The sheen from the mortar is gone and the brick all looks good.
If you were like me, you were focusing on the quartzitic sandstone in the new arch and hadn't noticed the variation in brick color.
Brick was not the only thing to be cleaned.  Have you noticed how much clearer the air has looked from the construction cam lately?  Some brave soul reached out and washed the lens.
Watching the work around the north planter is interesting.  Styrofoam is now being placed there.  I'm still amazed that this is considered durable construction material.
From the cam we can also watch the work on the west planters.  The conduit on the left carries electrical and data wires.
The conduit leads from the mechanical building just out of view from the cam.
Workmen are very busy on the west side forming the planters.
Two masons were building arches over the new west windows.
And yes, I'm sure they are using quartzitic sandstone.
I peeked at the apex of the west gable to check on the gablet holes.
Interestingly, there are no gablet holes on the north gable.  Yes, I'll watch that.
I like to look at the pavilion.
It's now sitting amidst a sea of rebar.  Perhaps you have wondered why the elevator is not against the south steel beams.  The reason is because an elegant curved staircase will rise from the lowel level on the east to the ground floor on the west, behind the elevator.
Pillars are hurrying to fill the south lot.
Brickwork is now well underway on the south face.
The center arch above the entrance is receiving some attention.
Just because my camera can see what's going on doesn't mean I can explain it.
Dentils now flow quietly under the eaves along the entire south face.
Restoration is ongoing on the southwest tower.  I took a better picture of the supports around the staircase newel.  Notice the niche on the left which still has some of the old plaster.
The roof on this tower is being readied for tubing to protect against snow and ice buildup.
The tabernacle is completely covered with scaffolding,
Which means it's also covered with workmen.
I hope they find a minute to stop and smell the roses.

7 comments:

Chad said...

There are many mechanical areas, more than I think is really needed. The mechanical shop wich is storing large heating or cooling equipment, the mechanical space that occupies most of lower lever 2, and the large mechanical area to the west of the basement. I wonder if some of the mechanical space will actually be a server room for the temples inter web situation. Easy access to fiber optic lines makes the location prime, plus several other businesses have main servers located in Utah County like Target, not to mention the NSA. I know this is a random comment, but do you have any idea of what all the mechanical spaces will be used for?

Julie Markham said...

I have been told that all temples have these mechanical areas and while they stay very clean, they are extremely useful. Space in the temple and surrounding underground area is prime, and I'm quite positive that it's not going to be used for anything except temple-related purposes.

The Cannon Family said...

Oakland has a whole floor below the bottom floor, plus a mechanical building down the hill. Temples need a lot of mechanical space because they have lots of unusual things, like fonts, that need equipment to maintain them. Also I believe most temples have backup generators. In the case of Provo City Center I believe some of the space in the mechanical building will actually be used for grounds equipment and to store Christmas decorations.

Unknown said...

Julie,
Styrofoam is a great product used in construction to fill space. It is used in highway/freeway construction all the time. The first time I saw it used was with I-15 prior to the Winter Games in SLC.

John

Brian said...

Forgive the run on sentances...

All Temples have Mechanical Space for Air handling equipment and Font Equipment (Water pumps and purifiers.)

Larger Temples will also have Larger spaces for larger Air handling equipment, Laundry, which is usually a bigger space than you would expect, a Basic Machine shop for around the temple repairs.

Electrical equipment space is neccesary, as the electrical demands are bigger for large temples.

Emergency/Fire suppression equipment will need more space, as code demands massive backup systems for larger buildings, and the basic system has to be bigger as well.

You may find simple server space (Nothing really fancy, just a basic server,) And an office for security.

Plus a receiving bay for Laundry and font chemicals, Additional Administrative space for Temple use and other rooms for basic storage.

Holiday equipment is not, that I am aware of, stored in the temple, most temples store it offsite in an auxiliary building, the same place as the grounds keeping equipment. There may be exceptions to that, but all the ones I can think of off the top of my head will store it outside of the temple.

Backup generators are typically not placed within the temple. They must be outside as they are gas powered. They also like to put them away from the temple for noise reasons.

In the case of PCC Temple, the mechanical building and space under it will probably not be dedicated as part of the temple. (Dedicated, yes, but not as part of the temple.) This is done so that personnel who come out to service the equipment need not be endowed members of the church to get to the equipment. Also, separating the support equipment from the temple itself reduces noise inside the temple.

Julie Markham said...

We wondered, and now we know. Thanks so much for helping out with that detailed answer!

Elise N Black said...

Thanks! I love to watch through your eyes.