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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.
Triple the action for Superior Scaffold at the Old Dublin Pike Bridge in Doylestown, PA.
The stone arch bridge was originally constructed back in 1875 and then rehabbed in 1947. So it was time for a reconditioning – seems that this old bridge still has over 5,000 cars travel over her every day in Doylestown, PA. Crews needed a way to support the structure and to get into the arches to repair the stones and masonry while keeping the road open above.
This was the challenge for Superior Scaffold.
First order of business was diverting the river through two of the arches so one could be fairly dry while the scaffolding was erected. Then, once that was built, the water had to be diverted again so the second, and then third arch could be constructed.
The next challenge was how to best shore up the arches so work could be completed but also support enough weight for heavy machinery traveling the road over head. Superior engineer Bob Robinson decided on 20k scaffold frames to hold up the shoring beams and wood supports. It allowed the road to remain open for business while construction crews completed the work below.
It’s a unique way to solve the problem and keep a major thoroughfare open.
The job went off without a hitch and the mighty river is flowing once again and cars are happily traveling over the old bridge in Buck County.
Call Superior Scaffold at 215 743-2200 or go to http://www.superiorscaffold.com for all of your scaffolding and shoring needs.
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:
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.
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.
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And some cool information:
Superior Scaffold to provide scaffolding support for Philadelphia Energy Solutions turnaround at old Sunoco refinery.
Superior Scaffold has entered into a deal with Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES), to provide scaffolding support for a turnaround at their large Philadelphia plant. This is the Point Breeze refining complex – which is the old Sunoco plant in South Philly.
Philadelphia Energy Solutions (PES) is the longest continuously operating refinery on the East Coast, processing 330,000 barrels of crude oil per day into various refined products.
Superior will provide all of the necessary scaffolding support during this shutdown. “Our guys are currently working with PES planning and organizing the massive turnaround so everything goes smoothly,” said Lou Collins, Superior Scaffold estimator. “We anticipate about a 12 week pre-to-post timeframe to complete this job.”
For those who don’t know, a turnaround at a refinery is a planned, periodic shut down (total or partial) of a refinery plant or unit to perform maintenance, repair and overhaul operations and to inspect, test and replace process materials and equipment.
Superior will be working with the exchangers, drums, towers, internal reactors and Re-gen and much more all around the complex.
We are proud to bring our 50 years plus of refinery experience to one of Philadelphia’s finest companies. And will keep you posted as we move through this turnaround process.
For all of your industrial scaffolding needs call Lou Collins @ 215 279-8123 or lou@superiorscaffold.com.
Univeristy of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology completes phase 2 of $15 Million renovation
The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology | 
at 3260 South Street | Philadelphia, PA 19104 | (215) 898-4000 has just completed
phase 2 of it’s extensive rennovations.
Widener Lecture Hall now looks like this after a complete restoration – thanks to the many craftsman and companies that took part – including us – Superior Scaffold.
The completion of the Widener Lecture Hall marks the end of the second phase of the Penn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology’s $15 million renovations of its west wing, which began in 2010.
This is what it looked like when Superior was brought in to provide scaffolding support so crews could get to the arched ceiling for mechanicals, electric, HVAC, sprinklers, and more. The challenge was to get workers to the hard to reach areas while allowing the ground below to remain open for access.
Superior used system scaffold towers connected with trusses up top to free up space for other trades below. Everything was decked in high above the ground to make a safe working platform.
The new space got air conditioning for the first time in its history, as well as new windows, lighting, and a state of the art audio visual system.
Built originally as a lecture hall in 1899, Widener Lecture Hall has most recently been used for woodshop exhibitions.
The first phase of the renovations of the west wing of the Museum was the renovation of the second and third floor galleries.
Following the completion of the Widener Lecture Hall, the third phase of the project will be the renovation of the conservation labs and teaching labs, which are on the first floor of the building.
For more information check out these sites:
http://www.thedp.com/article/2013/05/penn-museum-completes-phase-two-of-renovations
For all of your scaffold / scaffolding needs call Superior Scaffold (215) 743-2200
Changing ceiling tiles is MMM MMM good at Campbell’s Soup Headquarters.
This is one of those, once in a lifetime, cool jobs that you just have to brag about. Superior Scaffold was called out to the Campbell’s Soup Worldwide Headquarters in Camden, NJ to rig a special scaffolding in the boardroom.
This is the same boardroom where one of the original Andy Warhol Campbell Soup Can paintings lives.
And even cooler was the job. We had to come up with system to allow crews to change the ceiling tiles over the handmade wood table that resides in the boardroom. Sounds simple, right? Not really. The table is 8 feet wide by 30 feet long and could not be moved. It was hand picked by the Dorrance family (heir to the Campbell fortune) and cost over $100,000.
Needless to say, they needed a company with a history of preserving priceless artifacts to erect scaffolding around this table without causing any damage.
The table was first protected with poly, then foam, and then plywood as a precaution.
Superior built scaffold over and around the table using 2 foot wide X 34’ long towers on either side and then connected them with 10’ trusses. This made a solid platform. “Then we decked it in solid – so the crews would have a nice safe place to work,” said Superior estimator, Pat McAndrew.
They decided to install long life light bulbs while they were up there.
The job came off without a hitch and the Warhol is back presiding over the elegant table (with new lighting and ceiling tiles in place).
And just for fun – I couldn’t resist:
Temple University Performing Arts Center Dome Repair
In the heart of Philadelphia sits an incredible treasure – the Temple Performing Arts Center. Purchased in 1974 by Temple University the Baptist Temple was designated as historic and a landmark building. It underwent an extensive remodeling and has since hosted many great performing artists.
Superior Scaffold was called in by Temple University to help with the renovation of the two copper domes on top of the center. Over the years, the copper had oxidized and the wood beneath had fallen into disrepair. It was Superior Scaffold’s job to get the crews up there to do the renovation.
The first challenge was to fashion a decorative but functional entryway / canopy that not only showed off the grandeur of the classic building but supported the tremendous load of scaffolding above.
“It not only had to allow pedestrians access to the center but it had to look great and allow crews to reach the top to work on the new copper domes,” said Tom Creighton of Superior.
The additional challenge was not to damage any of the decorate artifacts or stonework on the roof.
Superior has more experience working with historic structures in Philly and is the best when delicate items need to be considered. (see Independence Hall)
Superior crews built a super-stable platform extending all the way around the base of the dome and built two work decks above the entire diameter of the domes – allowing renovation crews total access.
The crews had to strip off the decaying copper and rebuild the wood support beneath.
The new domes look amazing and we will post a photo as soon as we can. Temple University is one of our favorite clients and we were honored to help with their renovation.
Historic buildings are our speciality. Don’t hesitate to contact Superior Scaffold
for all of your scaffolding needs (215) 743-2200 – Ask for Tommy.
Nothing’s easy – The Road from Israel to South St. Philly for the famous LOD Mosaic
On January 26th, Superior Scaffold was proud to help bring to the East Coast one of the most incredible Roman Mosaics ever unearthed. The challenge to get them inside the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology was something of an engineering marvel taking scaffolding teams, crane operators, art curators, engineers, and scores of people.
But first… A real-life “Cover up”.
In 1996, workmen constructing a new highway in Lod, Israel (near modern-day Tel Aviv), made a shocking discovery: a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic under the surface of the road. At that time, the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted a rescue excavation that revealed a full series of mosaic floors, measuring roughly 50 feet long by 27 feet wide. Conservators provided preliminary treatment of the mosaics, but they were then reburied until funding could be secured for the full scientific excavation and conservation. In 2009, excavators unearthed the Lod Mosaic once again. The mosaics were then separated into panels and rolled away from the earth. Today, they remain in near perfect condition. Three of these panels are on display in Unearthing a Masterpiece.
This piece is very unique because it lacks human figures. It was likely commissioned by a high-standing Roman official for his private home. Alluding to gladiatorial games, the mosaic panels depict scenes of hunting, trading, and marine life.
And because these tiles date back to 300 CE and are some of the most complete, well-preserved, and largest Roman mosaics ever found, everyone involved wanted to keep them that way. So the call went out to Superior Scaffold to help get them into the building. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Follow the photos below to see just what was involved. Now, we were just one cog in a very important machine. But our piece was of utmost importance.
A crane hoists a crate onto Superior’s platform
These tiles were so large that they had to be placed into 7 gigantic wooden crates and shipped to Philadelphia. And on the morning of January 26, 2013 two large box trucks arrived and blocked South Street in front of the Museum.
The biggest challenge on this job, that required weeks of careful planning, was that these crates couldn’t just be waltzed through the loading dock and up to the third floor where they were going to be displayed. They were way too big and heavy to fit.
They had to be hoisted by a 100 foot crane up off of South Street and deposited onto a giant 16’ tall platform that Superior built over the main stairs and Warden Garden Coy pond that straddled two giant sliding wooden doors accessing the grand staircase on the third floor into the Pepper Gallery. Wow, that was a mouthful. But seriously, look at the photos. Superior’s platform allowed the giant crates to be maneuvered directly inside to the display area where curators could uncrate the masterpiece and put it together for display.
Sitting on top of the system scaffold, Superior used 9’ aluminum stringers crossed with solid plank and then topped with plywood.
Then entire unloading process took approximately 6 hours. Of course, our part started long before the trucks arrived and lasted well after the crates were unpacked.
Here is a sort of chronological assembly, if you will (from Superior Scaffold’s POV)
In the end, the Museum safely unloaded, unpacked, and assembled the Mosiac in time for their ribbon cutting ceremony on February 10, 2013 to start the exhibit (Unearthing a Masterpiece: A Roman Mosiac from LOD, Israel) which runs for a limited time.
Estimator Pat McAndrew not only oversaw the installation but also attended the opening where he took these photos of the famous Mosaic.
Superior will be back out assembling the same scaffolding in May when the exhibit is packed up again and shipped to the Louvre in Paris. After a short time there, it will make the trip to Israel and it’s final resting place in a specially built museum. So see it while you can
And a shout out to Bob Thurlow in charge of Traveling Exhibits at Penn Museum for some of the great photos of the crates going in.
If you would like more information about the unearthing of the LOD Mosaic click here.
Going off the deep end with scaffolding…
The Princeton Medical Center at Plainsboro, NJ is adding on to their illustrious hospital with two new rehabilitation pools. The crews needed to get access to the ceiling to do some repairs and additions. Well, with swimming pools spanning the entire room it makes it a bit difficult to reach up that high.
So they called Pat McAndrew at Superior Scaffold and said, “Help.” Since they had spent most of their budget on these incredible pools they were looking for a low cost alternative to just scaffolding the entire pools all the way up to the ceiling. They also wanted to use Baker/Painter scaffolds to roll from one end of the pool area ceiling to another.
So, they creatively devised a plan that would put an 8’ scaffolding tower down into the center of the large pool from the 3’ shallow end down to the 9’ deep end. They used 8’ horizontal trusses at deck height and then ran aluminum joists from side walls to trusses at 16” centers. The entire thing was then topped off with a deck of ¾” plywood. This would allow the baker scaffold to roll freely around the entire room while allowing crews to reach to the ceiling. You can see just how wide and deep this room is.
Now, the small pool was a bit different. They rested aluminum joists on the concrete side walls at 16” centers and then topped that off with plywood. Since it was only 18’ in diameter the aluminum joists would be able to support all of the weight put upon them.
Bingo, bango, bongo… another Superior solution and satisfied customer. Superior specializes in creative solutions for scaffolding problems. Call 215 743-2200 to see what Superior can do for you.
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