Author: Nick Halsey
Antoni Gaudí’s Basílica de la Sagrada Família is a monumental, unfinished church in Barcelona that has been under construction since 1882. Its fame and prominence have only grown in recent decades as the rate of construction has accelerated with support from technological improvements and a surge in funding from visitor fees. The building is already a central symbol of Catalonia and a major draw for (over)tourism in Barcelona, Spain.
As with the older Gothic Cathedrals found throughout Europe, construction was always expected to take a century or more. Gaudí directed the erection sequence to progress horizontally, with entire facades and towers rising to their final heights before foundations were laid in other sections. This approach allows successive generations to understand the design vision in sections complete to the fine ornamental details, garnering support for ongoing progress toward the eventual completion. A traditional vertical sequence, by contrast, could struggle to maintain interest amidst changing economic and cultural…
One year into construction, Sherwood’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge over Highway 99W came to life in a matter of weeks when the bridge spans were installed this spring.
Bridge Span Assembly
Each of the five bridge spans is simply supported. This means that they are structurally independent and self-supporting. The upright tied arches and inverted arch trusses are all biaxially symmetrical and can be lifted from four symmetrically located points. These trusses were assembled on site and in the Thompson Metal Fab shop in Vancouver, WA prior to erection to minimize road closures and traffic impacts.
The first arch is welded together outside of the YMCA pool. Steel framing for the span 5 bridge deck is assembled along Sunset Blvd. The first arch for span 5 is lifted into place on a temporary shoring tower. The steel deck edge assembly features a smooth exterior fascia articulated by alternating diagonal connection plates…
