Joists installed in Fairbank

The next step in getting the roof on Fairbank is well underway. If you drive by the site, you may notice a crane setting the steel joists that will support the roof of the building. Many of the joists in the northwest corner have been set, as have the joists in the gymnasium, and today, work is beginning on the south wing of the building. Work continues laying block in Fairbank when the weather allows, as well some work to rough in plumbing and electrical work.

Exterior Wall in Readlyn

Because of the size of the site in Readlyn--we don't have a lot of extra space to work with--the exterior walls of the northeast corner of the building haven't been completed because it has allowed for easier access to the building for other parts of the project. With much of the floor poured, and the roof continuing to go on, the time has come for work to begin on that section of exterior block bearing wall. The foundations have been poured, and now, as you drive by, you'll see the block being laid. It won't be long and the building will be nearly completely enclosed. The steel is on the roof in the gymnasium, and the rubber roofing has been installed on a good portion of the main section of the building. The attached picture shows the newly laid block.

Framing with Steel Studs in Readlyn

As the building becomes more and more enclosed in Readlyn, it gets harder and harder to see the progress that is being made inside the building. Inside, the steel studs that will frame the office and classroom areas are being installed. In the picture attached to this post, you can see the studs that will will later be covered with sheet rock. On the left side of the photo, you can also see a doorway that will soon be framed in with block. Work continues on the roof in Readlyn as well. When you drive by the site, you'll notice huge bundels on the roof; these bundels are sheets of insulation that are placed down over the steel roof, and then covered with a rubber membrane.

Progress on floor and walls continues in Fairbank

In the picture that is part of this post, you can see that work continues on the exterior walls in Fairbank. All told, about 60% of the exterior block bearing walls are complete, and about 75% of the slab on grade (concrete floor) is complete. It won't be long and residents will see a crane arrive in Fairbank to begin setting the joists on the north section of the building. After the roof joists are set, we'll see the steel go on the roof as well. Something that has become more apparent to me over the past couple weeks is the pretty tall task of coordinating a construction site and its operation. Larson Construction is the general contractor and Struxture Architects is the architect, of course. However, there are several sub-contractors also working on the job and it is the responsibility of Larson Construction to coordinate the efforts of all the subs--and their own workers as well. In order to see consistent progress, people need to have space to work, materials to work with, and progress on one part of the job site in order for someone else to begin their work. It truly is an amazing task to coordinate that work and we are happy to have Struxture and Larson working on that part of the project.

Joists installed, roof going on

As we mentioned earlier, the joists are going up in Readlyn, and now, as they work on that part of the building, we'll see the roof going in as well. In each of our buildings, sheets of steel will be placed over the joists, and those sheets of steel will be covered by sheets of insulation. Once the insulation is installed, those two layers will be covered with a thin rubber membrane that will serve as the outer layer of the roof. Many years ago, my dad always questioned the flat roof for ANY building in the Midwest. However, with these buildings, while the roof looks flat, there is a certain amount of pitch in the roof that helps to direct water toward drains that are placed throughout the roof of the building. The attached video shows the sheet steel being installed over the joists.

Interior walls going up in Fairbank

Work continues on both interior and exterior walls in Fairbank. Since we last posted, a good deal more of the floor has been poured, and the exterior brick has been going up on the gymnasium walls. (The gym walls are the area of the building that are exceedingly higher than the rest of the building.) As you may know, the sites have been fairly muddy, and a great question was asked this past week about the depth of the geo-thermal wells that are on the east side of the site. With all the traffic on that part of the site, what is to prevent damage to those wells? In answer to that question, it is important to know that, depending on their position on the site, those wells have been connected to one another between 6-10 feet below the ground. That provides a considerable barrier between the truck traffic and the wells themselves. Thanks to the local resident for asking the question. It's a good one. As you can see from the video, the walls to the corridor are going up in the northwestern portion of the building. Sunny days help construction and field work and I'm sure all of northeast Iowa is happy to see the sun. Keep it coming.