Tuesday, May 01, 2012

We really hope these are Strong Lines!

It’s been really interesting watching the construction going up next to the Chevron.  Enough so that even though I don’t work there any more, I go back regularly to get some pictures and see what’s new.

You ever wonder what really holds up those parking structures you confidently park your car in?  Yeah, there’s a lot of concrete, but these lines really do most of the holding up (and together).

Vertical lines hold the walls together, horizontal ones keep the floors from buckling as you drive up higher and higher.

Criss-crossing them over these little sets of legs keeps the rebar from dropping to the bottom of the concrete.

They make them extra long, so they go through the walls to anchor them, and then they cut them off when the concrete has dried.

But even before they put the rebar in place, they have lines that will keep the concrete flat, and in place, as it dries.

Not only does the rebar hold the concrete, it can be used to hold your hat for the weekend, so you won’t forget to bring it to work on Monday.

It was a pretty clear day when I took this picture of two sets of rebar that would strengthen the wall up to the next level.

11 comments:

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Of course it fits! reminds me of a huge erector set my brother use to build...

21 Wits said...

Oh yeah, that's a whole lot of fine sturdy lines to hold up all those heavy walls....and floors...! I do like the hard hat left waiting behind, but even better is when they hang their weldors and other expensive equipment way up high in the air!
Great photos of that place again. When will it all be finished, I forget.

Max Sartin said...

The latest is that it will be completed by mid-July. My friends at Chevron said there have been a flurry of people working over there. Which makes sense, I'm sure they want it ready and open by the beginning of the next school year.

Bob Scotney said...

I've hundreds of shots of construction sites and never thought of using them. An ideal place as your photos show to see strong lines at work.

Max Sartin said...

I love taking pictures of construction sites - watching them grow. I've been taking pictures at this one for over a year, from the beginning. Can't wait for July when it's done so I can show the process.

Lisa Shafer said...

I thought I posted a comment here. Didn't I?
Huh.
Well, I like the second one and the last one best. Nice take on this theme.

Alexia said...

Fantastic! This is such a perfect post for this theme - well done, Max!

Those lines sure better be strong...

Max Sartin said...

Either you were sleep-posting, or I was sleep-moderating and accidentally deleted it instead of approving it. We may never know.

Lisa Shafer said...

Maybe I didn't get the word verification right but clicked out of the comment box without noticing. I've done that before. And these new word verifications can be bloody hard to read!

Max Sartin said...

Those new word verifications drive me crazy. Sometimes you have to simply guess, is that an l and an o, or is it a b? Sometimes I'll write the comment in Word and then copy and paste it, just in case I lose it.

carmilevy said...

You don't need to hope: these are wonderful. So often I drive into a parking structure without even thinking how it came to be. Never again: you've literally and figuratively opened our eyes.

I bet the construction company would pay a pretty penny for this series.