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Men • Methods • Materials KUHICIPM. HI EBENC! I '■'"■ ■r ,r' of Seattle PuW< Library L- , . .. ■ r .. ■ tfire '.. v. 4. Wash. Equipment Space Needle contractors set construction records Skyscraper designed and built in 13 months; restaurant rests on steel legs 500 ft. high By PAUL NELSON Editor THE EYE IN THE SKY at Seattle's Century 21 site is a set of minor miracles that add up to a king-size total miracle. The $4 million Eye of the Needle Restaurant is one of the construction industry's most noteworthy contributions to the World's Fair that will start on April 21. Here are some of the construction features: • A major structure of unique design that was designed and built in just 13 months. • A record concrete pour in the base—2,819 cu. yd. in a single pour. • A large derrick, designed and constructed for this job, that pulled itself up by its own bootstraps through the core of the structure to a height of 553 ft. • Placement of 3,670 tons of structural steel without a lost time incident. The Space Needle is owned by the , Space Needle Corp. It was conceived j by a group of Seattle businessmen as a World Fair attraction that will continue to function after that event is over. Their idea of a restaurant in the sky, revolving 360 degrees, was not new but the height of the structure makes it the tallest thing of its kind in the world. The height was settled after a helicopter hovered over the site; the backers decided that the 500-ft. height would give the diners a spectacular view and that any further height would be too costly for the benefits involved. John Graham and Co. was engaged as the architect-engineer firm and Howard S. Wright Construction Co. as the prime contractor. With time an important element, the designer and builder worked closely together. Construction was actually started four months before the final plans were completed. Alfred H. Fast was project architect for the Graham firm and the consulting structural engineer was John K. Minasian of Pasadena, an internationally - known steel .specialist. who has designed some Cape Canaveral facilities. Concrete Base The base is Y-shaped. There is an over-all block of concrete under the structure, 12 ft. thick with arms 44 ft. wide. At the end of each of the three arms is a pedestal rising 18 ft. in height. These three pedestals serve as the bases for the three sets of two legs eaeh. The base is founded on clay and hardpan. The base used 2,819 cu. yd. of concrete and 250 tons of reinforcing steel. The concrete foundation was specified as a monolithic structure and the Wright firm marshalled its resources for a single lift pour in the way that a general prepares for a battle. The contractor's best concrete men were pulled from other jobs and off-duty policemen were engaged to handle traffic at the site. Markers were placed on the area around the excavation to guide the Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. readymix trucks. Making 12-minute trips from the plant on Lake Union, the trucks hauled up to 300 cu. yds. per hour. The entire pour was made in II hours and 45 minutes. The steel legs of the needle are Pacific Builder & Engineer—February 1962
Object Description
Description
Title | Page 59 |
File Format | image/jp2 |
Collection | Century 21 Digital Collection |
Contributing Institution | The Seattle Public Library |
Rights and Reproduction | For information about rights and reproduction, visit http://cdm16118.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/rights |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Transcript | Men • Methods • Materials KUHICIPM. HI EBENC! I '■'"■ ■r ,r' of Seattle PuW< Library L- , . .. ■ r .. ■ tfire '.. v. 4. Wash. Equipment Space Needle contractors set construction records Skyscraper designed and built in 13 months; restaurant rests on steel legs 500 ft. high By PAUL NELSON Editor THE EYE IN THE SKY at Seattle's Century 21 site is a set of minor miracles that add up to a king-size total miracle. The $4 million Eye of the Needle Restaurant is one of the construction industry's most noteworthy contributions to the World's Fair that will start on April 21. Here are some of the construction features: • A major structure of unique design that was designed and built in just 13 months. • A record concrete pour in the base—2,819 cu. yd. in a single pour. • A large derrick, designed and constructed for this job, that pulled itself up by its own bootstraps through the core of the structure to a height of 553 ft. • Placement of 3,670 tons of structural steel without a lost time incident. The Space Needle is owned by the , Space Needle Corp. It was conceived j by a group of Seattle businessmen as a World Fair attraction that will continue to function after that event is over. Their idea of a restaurant in the sky, revolving 360 degrees, was not new but the height of the structure makes it the tallest thing of its kind in the world. The height was settled after a helicopter hovered over the site; the backers decided that the 500-ft. height would give the diners a spectacular view and that any further height would be too costly for the benefits involved. John Graham and Co. was engaged as the architect-engineer firm and Howard S. Wright Construction Co. as the prime contractor. With time an important element, the designer and builder worked closely together. Construction was actually started four months before the final plans were completed. Alfred H. Fast was project architect for the Graham firm and the consulting structural engineer was John K. Minasian of Pasadena, an internationally - known steel .specialist. who has designed some Cape Canaveral facilities. Concrete Base The base is Y-shaped. There is an over-all block of concrete under the structure, 12 ft. thick with arms 44 ft. wide. At the end of each of the three arms is a pedestal rising 18 ft. in height. These three pedestals serve as the bases for the three sets of two legs eaeh. The base is founded on clay and hardpan. The base used 2,819 cu. yd. of concrete and 250 tons of reinforcing steel. The concrete foundation was specified as a monolithic structure and the Wright firm marshalled its resources for a single lift pour in the way that a general prepares for a battle. The contractor's best concrete men were pulled from other jobs and off-duty policemen were engaged to handle traffic at the site. Markers were placed on the area around the excavation to guide the Pioneer Sand & Gravel Co. readymix trucks. Making 12-minute trips from the plant on Lake Union, the trucks hauled up to 300 cu. yds. per hour. The entire pour was made in II hours and 45 minutes. The steel legs of the needle are Pacific Builder & Engineer—February 1962 |
Date created | 2012-03-28 |