Bricks, Cranes and Rebar

There was so much going on at the site this morning that I almost don't know where to start.

Are you as interested in the brickwork as I am?  The mortar has been removed from between the bricks on the north side, but the new and improved mortar hasn't been filled in yet.  The plastic cover is for warmth when the workmen start repointing.

With the scaffolding open on the east side, my camera and I could watch the brick restoration.

Part of this process puts dust in the air, so keeping the scaffolding open is best while that work goes on.

Each stone is being examined and all are numbered.  Some have been removed for further work.

You can see that the bricks are not identical in color.  When it is necessary to replace a brick, the men choose a brick of the same color.  This way the finished appearance will look like the original tabernacle.

This unrestored brick is on the south side.  Notice the variations in color.

I'm trying to decide what to show you next.

Scaffolding is being constructed around the base of the steeple.

This will not only enable the base to be finished, but it will provide workmen access to the steeple.

The next milestone for the temple will be the placing of Moroni on the steeple.

Mr. Crane is essential to lifting up Moroni, but I have learned that his days at the site are numbered.

In the meantime, he's staying very busy.

The pigeons are considering a Save The Crane campaign.

Once Mr. Crane leaves, the south entrance will be used to bring in construction materials.  Framing has begun on the two lowest levels of the temple, only one of which is visible in this photo, and is progressing up.

The workmen are working hard to prepare this rebar for a concrete pour.  The forms on each side of the entrance are for stairwells to the surface.

We are all atwitter about that.

Concrete has been poured along the east side of the south lot.  A drainage sump is in the lower portion of this photo.  The black crane is too heavy to move on top of the concrete, so pours on the on the west half of the south side have to happen north of him.  Eventually he'll work himself out of a job, too.

The south lift station lies quietly next to the south entrance.  The concrete is moving west and will fill in around it.  When the drainage system is complete, water from the site will exit via the three lift stations and move into the city's storm system.

Let's move to the west lot.

Half of the roof for the underground parking garage was poured two weeks ago.

The workmen are preparing the rest of the lot with rebar and cables for another pour.

The emergency stairwell from the garage is on the left.

The entire length of the south side of this lot has a concrete wall which will be part of the support system for the garage roof.  A similar wall will continue around the corner and down the length of the west side of the south lot and will support the roof of the south garage.

Within a few weeks, three sides of the temple will be at ground level.  Then, scaffolding for the brickwork can go up on the west side.

I'm ok with the scaffolding blocking our view of the temple, as long as it doesn't block our view of the mountains!

Reflections

Chris visited the site for me today.  I think you remember Chris, my nephew with a good eye for pictures, and a much better camera than I have.

I have been waiting for signs that scaffolding for further work on the steeple was beginning, and maybe this is what we are seeing here.

I knew from the construction cam that the large crane visited the north lot again.

This was how Chris saw it.

The cam also showed that the concrete pump worked at the site for awhile this morning.

The pump was gone by the time Chris arrived, but the cranes were working hard.

Plumbers, electricians and men installing ducts for heating and cooling are working throughout the interior.

I asked Chris to be sure and let us see the work on the south side.

The workmen are still building the columns which will support the roof over the underground foyer.

The brick restoration continues on the north face.  The original mortar has been removed.  The new mortar will cure better if the surrounding temperatures are a little warmer.

The scaffolding around the northeast tower indicates the shingle installation is about to begin.

Chris is always able to see the tabernacle with a new perspective.

I have walked by the Nu Skin logo many times and have never thought to take a picture here.

Looking at the tabernacle in a new light is essential if we want to understand why all this work is being done.

Temples are about hope and love.

Jack and Jill

I visited the site this morning after a beautiful snowfall during the night.

I saw men working on the tension cables.  My camera is looking from the north at the gap between the far western construction wall on the right and the edge of the roof for the underground parking on the left.  The gap is deeper than this picture indicates.  The workman you see on the right is standing on a plywood support.  

The newly poured concrete is under warm concrete blankets while it cures. The ends of the tension cables we saw were laid east and west, between the tabernacle and the construction barrier my camera is now looking over.

This man is operating the hydraulic jack which is pulling the cables, one by one.  I thought the jack was the box with the meters.  When I got home, my engineer-husband kindly explained that the jack is the object I have barely captured in the bottom center of the photo.  This man is measuring the tension on the cables.

This picture is from the south.  I asked Mr. Engineer-husband if putting tension on the cables was like pulling a thread to gather fabric.  He said the cables aren't actually moving very much, but this action greatly increases the durability of the concrete.

The men working on the cables are on the far left.  Perhaps I'll get another chance to understand this better.  You can see the coiled, orange cables which go north and south.  

There are more orange cables waiting in the south lot, on the left, next to the elevator base for pavilion.

So far, only half the roof for the west underground parking garage has been poured.

Forms are rapidly being placed for the second half.  Interfering snow was swept out of the way.

The emergency stairwell for the west parking garage is in the center of this photo.  Its roof is being covered with forms for concrete.  This picture was taken at the south side of the west lot.

Here is a north view of that south edge.  A concrete wall is slowly covering that side.

There was so much going on at the site that I watched for quite awhile, even though it was 27 degrees.

A curved stairwell from the surface will reach this part of the south underground parking garage.  Pumps for a fountain will also be in this area.

One of the banners on the construction barrier showed this rendering of the fountain.

Black rebar walls for concrete forms are rising.

The walls are being built on the ground before being moved into place.  The long rectangular-shaped box in the center of this picture was moved here from a newly poured pillar.

Another pillar, to the right and below the shadow, was uncovered while I watched.

The men in a vertical row are assembling the scaffolding on the east side.  The white sheeting on the north is to keep some warmth in so the new grout for the bricks can cure properly.

The original grout is still being removed.

Some of the pictures I took were cloudy with the dust from the grout removal and I couldn't use them.  The color of the brick is from the grout dust and is only temporary.

The fire damaged quite a bit of brick under the north gable.  I sighed when I saw this.

Maybe the tabernacle looks too much like a hospital while these repairs are going on.

I spied these two men shoveling snow away from micropiles in the south lot.  You remember that micropiles have been drilled throughout the south lot.  During the fall, dirt was moved all over the lot, covering them.  Now someone with the treasure map is finding them again.

Plywood was being delivered for the south gable.  I am always in awe of these workmen.  While it was definitely a beautiful morning, I still have two words:  27 degrees.

I noticed scaffolding being erected around the northeast tower roof.  Perhaps shingles are next. 

I had a fun morning at the site, but right now it's snowing again.