Toyota, Superior Scaffold, the Philly auto show and Vermont? An update.

I wanted to follow up on a post we did last month about the ramp we built for Toyota at the Philly Auto Show.  I didn’t have the photos at the time but now I do and boy are you in luck!   These picks are after the skeleton was erected and just as the dirt was bing poured.

It’s not everyday that you get to see the behind the scenes workings of an auto show, especially one where they constructed a ramp and obstacle course to test their vehicles.

The previous blog can be seen here (on how the ramp was constructed)

Let me show you a few pics of what the ramp looked like going up and then I’ll show you the finished product and how it was used.

This is what the space looked like when we were erecting the ramp.

Here you can really see what went into constructing a ramp strong enough to hold dirt, cars, and passengers.

The dump truck unloading all of the dirt for the ramp.

Crews feverishly moving dirt up and onto the ramp itself.

And the moment of truth!  The first test car to go up and over the ramp.  Success!!!

Even though the show was in Philly – Toyota thought it might be more realistic to  have a sign that said welcome to Vermont?  Where’s the love?

This is the Vermont snow that was placed on the side of the ramp and all around the obstacle course.

These are some of the test vehicles that Toyota brought out to take customers out and around the course.

Be prepared for adventure!

This shows you where the course flows once you come down the other side of the ramp.  There is a very large photo of a snowy environmnent and a cross country skier coming right at you – I guess somewhere in Vermont?

Every obstacle course needs a water hazard complete with rocks, sand and mud!

Superior Scaffold was proud to work with Toyota on this ramp for their course.  It weathered 3 days of constant abuse without a scratch.  There was much more to the actual course but I just wanted to give viewers an update to the ramp we constructed.  It’s fun to see just how the finished product looks and functions sometime.

For all of your scaffold, scaffolding needs call Superior Scaffold at (215) 743-2200 or visit http://www.superiorscaffold.com

Ask for Pat.  He will take good care of you.

 

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Superior Scaffold Rental Department: Rent, lease and buy scaffolding

It’s true.  We rent just about everything.  Many people know Superior Scaffold as a premiere scaffolding company that designs and implements scaffolding and access solutions for all types for customers and general contractors.  But for those of you who don’t know we also have a top notch rental department where you can get all kinds of equipment for just about any project.   Here, let Dave give you a quick run down.

So whether you are a general contractor, a do it your-selfer, or a regular scaffolding guru – we have you covered.  I thought I’d feature a few items from frame rental division (all of which can be found on our website.)  We have thousands of items so call Dave at (215) 743-2200 and he will take care of you.

Here are some popular rental items from our Frame scaffold rental division.

Standard Mason, masonry frames (151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 15602)

Ladder frames (123, 124, 125, 126)

Narrow Frames 36″ Wide.  We have a variety of scaffold, scaffolding, narrow frames (136, 135, 133, 13602, 13502)

15606 – (aka J frame) has the widest walk through.
15607 – (aka h frame) The strongest design of walk thru frames

Aluminum deck, decks, Plywood Planks (5307-19, 5308-19, 5310-19)
OSHA grade laminated scaffold plank (ml-06, ml-08, ml-10, ml-16)

Braces, cross braces, single, double

We have scaffold, access ladders, ladders, stairs, railings, guard rails and rope & wheel systems for scaffolding.

Scaffold and scaffolding accessories like screw jack, base plate, caster, coupling pin, pins, saddle, and fasteners.

We also rent a full line of decorator scaffold (painter scaffold, baker scaffold), debris chutes, netting, safety equipment, and much much more.

Go to our website and check it out for yourself or stop by our shop at:

Superior Scaffold Services
520 East Luzerne Street
Philadelphia, PA 19124
(215) 423-2200
For a map click here:

Or you can download some of our catalogs for your own reference:

  

As Dave says, “When it’s time to rent equipment – rent from the best.  Superior Scaffold.”

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Adapting to the building’s shape – innovative solutions at The Rittenhouse Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

The angled exterior design of the Rittenhouse Hotel by architect Donald Reiff allows stunning views of Rittenhouse Square and the city below but poses an interesting challenge for crews that need to work on the facade of the building.

Traditional wisdom would say hang a work cage and move it ten thousand times or a standard platform across the jutting corners and try your best to reach in to work on the windows.  But that’s where traditional wisdom ends and sheer innovative genius begins.

The guys at Superior Scaffold wanted something safer and more cost effective.  And sometimes when we come up with something that’s never been done before it’s necessary to turn to the designers of the equipment we use for assistance.  And in this case, it was Bee Access.  In collaboration, Superior Scaffold’s Bob Sarkisian and Bee Access’ designer Tom DeJong came up with a brilliant solution for this complex problem:  Saw-toothed porch brackets that mount directly to the modular staging and allow crews total access to the exterior of this uniquely shaped building.

If you ask Bob – he’ll tell you he designed it and Tom blessed it but if you ask Tom he’ll say he designed it and Bob implemented it.  Either way, it is one of the coolest designs we’ve created.  One thing is for sure, Tom’s ability to think outside the box (coupled with his ability to put his stamp of approval on Superior’s designs) has lead to a most fruitful collaboration on many projects.

Here, you can really see how these brackets are mounted onto the side of the staging as our guys were installing them prior to their deployment.

You can see just how incredibly well these brackets fit inside of the corners of the building.

Tom must have sounded like Dr Frankenstein saying “My Creation…It lives!” when we sent him these photos.

It’s another example of just how adaptable our Altrex staging can be.  We have done many odd shaped jobs with great success.  You can see additional work on our website.  Even Frank Llyod Wright can’t design a building we can’t figure out how to access.

The Rittenhouse Hotel has a long and fascination history.  Read more about it here.

Photo linked to the world property channel.

Here is a shot of what the exterior of the entire building looks like.

If you need innovative solutions to your access challenges call Superior Scaffold at (215) 743-2200 or visit http://www.superiorscaffold.com today.

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Double Wide, frame vs. system scaffold – when to use

At first glance, what do you see?  A double-wide canopy spanning the entire sidewalk?

If you did – you would be correct but there is more to it than meets the eye.  You don’t think we would just toss up a double wide sidewalk shed using our famous 767-00 “Philly” frames would you?  Of course not.  What you have to remember is that this a large span we have to cover so the facade resoration can go on overhead.  And there are certain regulations that are mandated by our state as to the amount of weight this canonpy must support.  In Philadelphia it’s 300lb psf.

My first thought was; why didn’t they use a system scaffold to bridge the gap?  I understand that there would have to be two foot towers to support the beams and that would be a bit of cluster (you know what).  But I’m no engineer.  So then I thought, why don’t I just ask Superior Scaffold top engineer, Mike Leone?  After all, he’s the man who has to design all these scaffold projects to meet code.  I’ll let him tell you in his own inimitable way.

“You can make system scaffold work in a situation like this, but you would have to configure it properly and have enough posts/verticals and watch your leg spacing to get 300 psf rating.  It would be a lot more pieces than using the canopy frames and would take longer to erect.  So this is faster and less expensive and you get the same rating,” said Mike. “The City of Philadelphia’s Department of Streets Code requires a minimum interior opening of 6 feet. The Philly frame, as the name implies, was made specifically to comply with these codes.”

So there you have it.  Not only is up to code but can also be faster to erect.  I noticed another feature of this type of set up as well.  It could help with the pedestrian traffic flow.  It creates an isle-like walkway where traffic can flow easily in both directions just like on a highway.

And I just love to see the photos of how they erect these projects.  Take a look.

They also painted the wood panels to help match the decor of the building.  That’s another little added touch that Superior offers.  Very cool.

We at Superior are always spanning the globe for unique scaffolding solutions to bring you.

That reminds me… Cue the music.  “Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of scaffold… the thrill of erection… and the agony of having to take it down… This is Philly’s Wide World of Scaffold!  Sorry, it just brought me back there for a minute.

If you have a large sidewalk or area that needs overhead protection (canopy, sidewalk shed) call Superior Scaffold at (215) 743-2200 or hit the website at www.superiorscaffold.com today.

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Emergency Scaffold Services – Canopy and facade restoration

Here’s the deal.  Nobody likes to hear the word emergency.  Not even us at Superior Scaffold.  But the truth of the matter is that life does happen and we can help.

Sometimes things just wear out or a truck backs into something or water leaks in.  But when it happens to your building, property or project we are there.  We are one of the few scaffolding companies that have an emergency services line set up just for this type of event.   (215) 743-2200.  And in most times we can be onsite within hours assessing the situation and implimenting a plan to getting you and your project, building or site up and running safely.

Our website is populated with examples of where Superior Scaffold jumped in at a moments notice to provide scaffold support in emergencies.

I just grabbed this one at 16th & Walnut where a piece of the building’s facade actually came loose and fell off.  Luckily, no one was around when it happened.

But Superior was called in and was able to quickly provide a solution in a canopy and overhead protection for pedestrians.   A facade rebuild was required when inspectors found the entire exterior was damaged.  A much larger system scaffold was erected to address that facade and remodel. Containment wrap was also used to help keep debris locked in and out of the way.

I just love seeing the during and after shots of the project!   You kind of get an idea of what the guys on the crew have to go through the erect one of these.

If you should find yourself in need of emergency scaffold services call our hotline at (215)743-2200 and follow the prompts.  If it’s after hours don’t despair, just follow the prompts and one of our estimators will call you back.

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