Here Comes the Big Steel
A new construction phase for our future Seattle headquarters at 500 Fifth Avenue North began on July 6 with the delivery and erection of structural steel.
Steel requires huge delivery trucks
Up to eight big flatbed trucks a day deliver the very large steel columns, beams, and preassembled custom units (such as staircases) that will form the metal skeletons of two six-story office buildings.
At the same time, the steady flow of concrete trucks continues, often as many as 40 a day.
Reducing impacts on neighborhood traffic
We appreciate your cooperation during the temporary lane and street closures needed to accommodate the steel deliveries through the end of this year and into 2010.
- Most steel deliveries will arrive during normal working hours.
- Delivery of oversized loads will be shifted to late night and early morning.
The three 47,000-pound trusses that arrived in early July, for example, were delivered before 6 a.m. to avoid long traffic delays and reduce the risk to passers-by.
Watch the buildings take shape quickly
In May the three concrete towers, or building “cores,” of the north building were topped off at roof height (more on these cores below).
Soon, a steel frame will connect the three cores like the points of a V. By October, you will be able to see the completed shape of the north building.
How do they do that so fast?
An assembly line approach accounts for such rapid progress. Working clockwise, two floors at a time:
- The first team of steel erectors bolts the steel members together.
- A second team follows to weld everything into precise position. They also install metal decks to support flooring.
- A third team of contractors then pours the concrete floors.
The assembly line will swirl around the north building three times, and then in November, move over to the south building (behind and to the east of the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage) to repeat the process.
What comes after the steel frame and concrete floors?
In the fall, we’ll report on the beginning of the next stage: the installation of the north building’s exterior covering.
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Three Concrete Cores of the South Building Are Rising
The cores of the north building (shown above) are complete. |
This summer, three more concrete cores are rising for the south building. They will reach full height—six stories above ground level— by mid-August. The building cores, which will house elevators and restrooms, are critical structural elements.
Their purpose is to anchor the building and bear a massive structural load. Hundreds of miles of iron rebar are buried within the concrete to ensure strength and stability. You can think of the concrete cores as big trees with floors branching from them.
Strong vertical trunks transfer side-to-side (lateral) load from floors downward into the strong roots of the building’s foundation. The wind blowing against the outside of the building is one kind of sideways load. The rocking motion of earthquakes is another. |
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Garage at Seattle Center Earns LEED Gold Certification
Good news from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): The Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage has received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its environmentally responsible and sustainable building design. The certification system evaluates energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources.
To date, 19 Seattle buildings have won LEED Gold ratings. This is our city’s first LEED garage. To learn more about LEED standards and ratings, visit the USGBC web site.
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Read Our 2008 Annual Report Online
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Our 2008 annual report, Progress and Pressing Needs, is now available online.
In a year of financial challenges, we continued to focus on:
- Helping the poor lift themselves out of poverty
- Improving health in the developing world
- Strengthening education in the United States
We invite you to learn about how our efforts are helping people survive and, in the long term, thrive. |
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| Keeping Up with Construction
Interested in more details about upcoming construction work? To stay up to speed and receive updates, visit the web site of Sellen, the project's general contractor.
Sellen's weekly bulletins help our future neighbors know what to expect and when to plan for changes around the project site, including street closures.
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