The Building goes Vertical!

Perhaps the most dramatic change on the building site so far occured when our builders started putting the steel structure in place.  In a matter of a few days, the steel skeleton that will support our walls has taken shape.  Here you can see the structure towering over the nearby playground.

To put the frame up, the builders used a forklift-like machine (you can see it to the right in the picture above) to lift the individual beams to a vertical position. They then guide it onto four massive bolts projecting from the foundation. Once the bolts are through the holes in the base of the beam, it is secured with four bolts, and they move onto the next one.  Once several are up, they start attaching the crossbeams, which provide stability, and a place to later attach the walls of the building.  Here is a crew attaching the crossbeams to the structure:

Soon (but probably during Christmas Break) the builders will bring in a large crane to place the huge joists that will support the ceiling.  Watch this space for news and pictures when this happens!