Here in the studio, we have a little project under construction that we’d like to share with you. Thanks to Charles’ simple yet dramatic design, the expansion wing of the Morgan Hill Centennial Recreation Center has been super fun to watch go up…and thanks to its proximity, we get to take lots of pictures.
The first things to go up after the slab was poured were the columns that comprise the four walls of the expansion.
One of my personal favorite things about a construction site is being able to see components before they’re put together to make the building…
…and then also to see them once they are in place. Here the curved roof beams are being craned into place and welded to the columns. Working with the structural steel in this project called for utmost precision in the shop drawings. The columns and beams are not like wood or even lightweight metal framing – if the columns or beams are delivered to the site in the wrong length, you can’t lay them over a sawhorse and easily cut off the extra inches.
Here, all the curved roof beams are on. This is where you really start to get a feel for what the building is going to be like!
Next they installed horizontal elements between the columns to delineate where the windows will be and provide the bracing for the sturdy “box” that is the structure of the expansion.
Horizontal elements are in, the steel has its first coat of paint, the roof deck is applied, and the walls begin to be defined.
Stay tuned for more!
Lindsey works at Weston Miles Architects as a sustainability coordinator and part-time blog and website guru, among other tasks. She is formally educated in passive energy conservation and design, but is an environmental enthusiast in pretty much all areas one can be.