Superior Scaffold hangs a whopper of a job at Seneca Niagara Casino, Niagara Falls, NY

This is a monstor of a job.  We promised some photos and since we, at Superior Scaffold, keep our promises – here they are.

 

It’s hard to believe that this all hangs 40 feet ABOVE the entire gaming room floor while people are hustling and bustling about underneath.

They sit above the interior that is the size of 2 full length football fields.

   

These wings or fingers are 300 and 400 feet long!

   

What this project entails is getting crews up underneath the ceiling while the casino remains open for business as usual so they can get the new HVAC and mechanicals installed.

 

The solution came in the form of what is called a multi-point suspended scaffold.  It’s not only wide, but stable enough to hold equipment, rolling towers, HVAC piping, etc.

These giant work platforms actually hang from chains from the arched trusses at the ceiling.  It’s netted in so nothing can fall off of the sides and its sturdy enough to support just about anything you can put onto it.

       

We’ve done these before (see blog on Hanging bridge platform) but never at this scale.

   

The ceiling has giant arches which of course curve and give different elevations along that curve.  So the challenge for our crews was to get the lengths of chains correct over the entire spans of this platform while they were assembling them to keep the platform perfectly level.

 

The segments had to hang at different elevations from the trusses to accommodate the particular ducting and venting going on up there.  Some lengths would be 20 feet while others would be 10 and so forth.  But once our guys go the proper lengths in place the platform was installed, level and sturdy.

Here is a video so you can see in real time what these platforms look like.

There aren’t many comapanies that can or will undertake an immense job like this.  Our star estimator, Anthony Pini, made it his personal mission to come up with solutions to solve this engineering problem – and his team succeeded without incident.

The new HVAC and mechanicals are installed and everyone at the Seneca Niagara Casini can literally breathe easier!

Call Superior Scaffold today at (215) 743-2200 for solutions to your unique scaffolding project.  Ask for Tom Cruise, AKA Tony Pini.

Superior Scaffold and the historical Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ

This neat old church at 1064 Penn Ave, in Wyomissing, PA, that began its life in 1909, needed some repairs to the high vaulted plaster ceilings – so they called Superior Scaffold.

Photo courtesy of Ed Reneger

Superior is known for its skill working with historical buildings and the care it takes around one of a kind artifacts and structures.  This was no different.  We had to construct some cool system scaffolding up, over and around pews, alters, and priceless objects at Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ

 

The ceiling was divided into sections with flying buttresses, so the layout had to be spot on accurate.

 

We used system scaffold with joists and plank to not only get to the hard to reach places but to also build a solid platform or dancefloor for the workers.

The steep, sloped, plaster ceilings had new sheetrock added over the old plaster, and then they were textured and painted.

This gave the old girl the dress up she needed for the next 100 years.

We were proud to bring our skills and experience working with historic buildings to Bausman Memorial United Church of Chris.

Here are some articles detailing Superior Scaffold’s work with historic buildings:

Independence Hall

Our Lady of Lourdes

A little history on this church.

Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ is part of a denomination which is a merger of the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches of the United States.

Construction of a small church began in 1909 and it was dedicated in 1911. As the congregation grew, members decided to complete the church building with an addition begun in 1922. The completed building was dedicated in 1924.

1064 Penn Ave  Wyomissing, PA 19610
(610) 375-9790

Bausman Memorial United Church of Christ is a church of diverse learners seeking answers to life’s questions based on the teachings of Christ. We nurture each other with respect, share with each other as family, and engage God and others in worship, music, study and in service. Every Sunday we offer Church School programs for all ages at 9:00 a.m. and gather for worship at 10:15 a.m.

http://www.bausmanucc.org/tp40/Default.asp?ID=278557

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=153612

Philadelphia Inquirer reports Superior Scaffold to erect Canopy at Amtrak’s 30th St. Station

Superior Scaffold will provide 10-foot-high canopies around the gigantic 30th Street Station.  This is no small feat.  (Look at the photos)  In fact, this is Amtrak’s 3rd largest station – it’s huge.

 

The renovation will take several years to complete at a cost of $60 milliion.  The scaffolding will be erected to not only protect pedestrians but allow business as usual during a planned restoration of the limestone facade of the 80-year-old neo-classical building.

The Philadelphia Inquirer (philly.com) reported the story Aug 17, 2013 and quoted our very own man about town, Pat McAndrew (of the naked, fighting McAndrew clan) who had this to say, “the canopies – posts with “debris panels” on top – will be installed atop concrete barriers along the Market and Arch Street sidewalks and at the east and west entrances to the station.  The station will remain “totally accessible” to pedestrians during the work.”

Well put Pat.

The $2 million canopy installation will start in a few weeks and is expected to be completed by the end of September.

The 30th Street Station is the main railroad station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the seven stations in SEPTA’s Center City fare zone. It is also a major stop on Amtrak’s Northeast and Keystone Corridors.  It sits at 93 N. 30th St. & Market St. Philadelphia PA 19104 (215) 580-6500.

I, Mtruch [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Here’s a link to the philly.com article.

And some cool information:

Great photos of the 30th Street Station

http://www.yelp.com/biz/30th-street-station-philadelphia-2

Franklin Institute and the Emergency Egress

Sounds like something from the minds of Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay…

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The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.  They are currently hosting the Titanic Artifact Exhibition – and they are putting a new addition onto the side of the building.  This is where Superior Scaffold comes in.

 

The needed an emergency egress – to put it simply, an emergency exit stairwell from the second floor down to the ground.  Sounds simple, right?  Of course not.  Why?  Because the ground beneath the proposed emergency stairwell is being excavated.  Something about spy tunnels from the old Manhattan project that run from the basement of the Franklin Institute across the street into the basement of another building.  Now, this is just conjecture offered up from some unnamed sources on the job.  But just think about it.  How cool would that be?

Since I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations we can only assume that Oppenheimer and his crew were shuttling top secret plans back and forth while developing the world’s most destructive weapons.  Or it just could be that something beneath the ground needs to be removed or updated for structural reasons.  Stairs, water pipes, electrical, who knows?  You make the call???  Maybe Jerry Bruckheimer should make a movie.  Superior Scaffold stars in:   Ha.

Either way, the egress could not be built straight from the second floor down to the ground.  This is where the creative chaps at Superior Scaffold come in and design a scaffold that spans the 36’ area that’s being excavated and then takes you down to ground level.  Since they had to span the gap – they designed a free standing 4′ X 5′ X14′ high unit that sits 40’ away from the exit of the building.

 

You can see where Superior engineer Bob Robinson called for a thru-bolted channel on the side of the building to carry the giant 40’ steel beams.  Then on top of those beams they constructed a 5’ wide walkway that takes people out and over the excavation below.

 

So when you look out of the second floor about to exit you will see a walkway that spans the excavation below, completely covered and hand railed.   On the other side of the deck are the stairs that take you down.  Problem solved.

And since it was free standing, the guys put a roof on it, added hand rails and debris netting around the sides to knock down the elements.  It’s quite a lovely emergency egress.

You see, it’s the simple things in life that make people happy.  Superior is the best at coming up with functional solutions that make clients happy.

http://www2.fi.edu/

http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/the-franklin-institute/

Creative Scaffolding Solutions at Eisenhower Middle School, Norristown, PA

We get this call quite a bit.  And even though it’s a smaller job, we wanted to show you what can be done when there doesn’t not seem to be an easy solution.

The good people at Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy were installing a new HVAC unit and couldn’t figure out how to make the tie-in at the top safely using their ladders and scissor lifts, so they called Superior Scaffold.

Superior estimator and creative guru, Pat McAndrew, quickly devised a solution that put system scaffolding on either side of the unit and then added an access ladder and 2 decks for workers on the top so they could span the section across the apex of the HVAC unit.  Crews were then able to safely tap into the duct work up top and then down into the HVAC unit itself.

It looks simple, but trust us, it takes an expert designer to devise a safe and simple solution like this.

Call Superior Scaffold (215) 743-2200 when you need creative scaffolding solutions.

A renovation for the ARCH Building at University of Pennsylvania

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Superior Scaffold salesman, Anthony Pini rocked the house on this job at the University of Pennsylvania’s ARCH Building (Arts, Research and Culture House) in Philadelphia, PA.   Not only did he meet the client’s needs on every phase, but he went so far as to bring the crews coffee and donuts on several occasions.  He’s is certainly the king of customer service for Superior Scaffold.

    

This is a very deceptive job from the outside because it’s shrouded from trees, signs, and netting.  It masks the major renovation going on both inside and outside of this historic building.  Built in 1929, it was in desperate need of a renovation.  This $15 million redo will add new flourishes while preserving the original ornate structure.

      

The job was unique because it required Superior to scaffold half of the building so crews could get to the roof, façade, gables, balconies, windows, and even interiors all at the same time.  It was truly a multi-trade scaffolding job.  But the truly challenging part was that Superior crews had to take it all down and put it back up again when the work moved to the other side of the building.

You can see here that intricate woodworking around the ceiling also needed to be addressed, so Superior provided the University of Pennsylvania with several rolling towers for the inside of the massive structure.

  

  

The U of P had strict deadlines and timeframes for each phase of the job which Pini and Superior Scaffold met and exceeded.

How to change a light bulb – Scaffolding style

How do you change light bulbs on the ceiling above a giant spiral staircase that descends several floors?

You can see the light fixtures just out of reach from the railing in the shot.  Sure, you could dangle precariously from several extension ladders, or you could cautiously lean over the edge while your coworker holds onto your belt loop while you reach with all of your might to grasp the super hot bulb and pray that you didn’t piss them off in the past.   But then, how would you get to the recessed ones directly in the center?  Hmmmm???  Or you could do it the Superior Scaffold way – using system scaffold.

The Cira Centre is a 29 story glass high-rise in the Universal City area of Philadelphia.  You can’t miss the glass structure against the skyline.  They had a problem.   Several of the light bulbs in the ceiling had burned out and they couldn’t reach them to change them out.  They called Superior Scaffold to devise a creative way to breach the spiral staircase in between the 24^th and 26^th floors so crews could replace the old bulbs with longer lasting energy efficient ones.

“The benefit of using system scaffolding in an area like this is that we can build the base around almost anything, even a spiral staircase.  It’s very versatile and stable, especially when you need legs of different lengths or heights,” said estimator, Pat McAndrew.

 

You can see from the photos just how they built the scaffold to fit into and around the staircase.

So remember, when you’ve got something you can’t reach with a traditional ladder or other means – scaffolding just might be the trick.

More info on the Cira Center at 2929 Market Street  Philadelphia, PA 19104.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cira_Centre

http://ciracenter.com/

Scaffolding walkway at Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia, PA

Here’s a nifty little job.  Something you might not see everyday: An Interior Canopy.

Now, you might be asking yourself, why would Superior Scaffold put something that is normally outside on the sidewalk, inside a hospital?

  

It’s simple, really – Chestnut Hill Hospital needed to remain open for business while repair crews replaced the skylights in the entire lobby and vestibule.  By putting what amounts to a canopy or sidewalk shed inside, doctors, patients, visitors and guests can all pass safely through the entrance while work continues overhead.

It’s business as usual, as we say in the industry.  I’ll post some pics of the all glass ceiling when I get them.

Chestnut Hill Hospital is a community-based teaching hospital with 164 beds offering a range of inpatient and outpatient, diagnostic and treatment services in Northwest Philadelphia.

Superior is the best in the business when it comes to canopies / sidewalk sheds.  Call (215) 743-2200 for information.

Superior scaffolds St. Mary’s Ukranian Church, Mcadoo, PA

When  St. Mary’s Ukranian Church in Mcadoo, PA needed a scaffolding company to erect scaffold for painters to restore the exterior luster of their beloved church – they turned to Superior Scaffold.  Our experience with historic buildings, churches and structures has made us the tri-state leader in the scaffolding industry.

The contractor wanted a stair tower to access the scaffold and a nice sized storage deck.  And to eliminate ascending the scaffolding from the ground each time, Superior constructed a special walkway across the roof.

You will see the photos below but I think this Youtube video gives the best visual description.

At the front of the video you will see the newly painted surfaces.  Also, about halfway through you will see the scaffold going up and the freshly painted gold domes.  It’s quite impressive looking.

 

 

St Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church – Mcadoo, PA – Catholic Church

http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Marys-Ukrainian-Catholic-Church/121069767906788

Superior Scaffold uses unique earth anchors to hold canopy in place.

So, not only did we help scaffold the building for the new support steel but we just installed the canopy at the entryway.  In the background, you can see the 5 story steel structure where our scaffolding used to be.  They are making great progress on the new addition at the Chester County Hospital, and we are grateful to be a part of such a unique project.  (See the original blogpost here.)

And speaking of unique, this was a very cool and innovative way to tie-down a canopy.  It’s not something you see everyday.
 

Normally, there are many places to tie-down a canopy to keep it stable and secured from the elements.  But as you can see from the pics there wasn’t much to hold on to out here in the front of the hospital.  On the one side, you see the large cement Jersey Barriers (no problem) but the opposite side just had blacktop.  And how would we tie into that?

 

So our super duper team of engineers and builders came up with an awesome system to keep this baby anchored properly.

Look at this little gem – called an Earth Anchor.  Aptly named for its ability to anchor just about anything down to the good ole’ blue planet.  If you look carefully, you will see an X type of bracket that has two tubes on it at 45 degree angles.  X.

  

Long steel rods (about 2′ – 3’) are driven through those X tubes and down into the ground itself.  The idea is to create an apposing force in the soil that is virtually impossible to pull out.  “You would literally have to move something like 40 square feet of dirt to pull one of these ties from the clutches of mother earth,” said Superior Scaffold’s main man, Shawn MacDonald.

And then, at the top of the X bracket is a fastener where the tie-downs hook in.  The canopy then can be ratcheted down to these brackets making it super stable and virtually impervious to high wind.

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Here are a few photos of the canopy (sidewalk shed) in place.

Superior Scaffold – innovative scaffolding solutions.  (215) 743-2200.  Philadelphia, PA

Chester County Hospital in West Chester, PA is embarking on a $45.2 million building project to increase inpatient bed capacity with 72 new private rooms and to install a new, state-of-the-art linear accelerator for the treatment of cancer.