The shaft
August 20, 2005 9:49 AM Subscribe
I live across the street from a construction site. The other day I noticed that there is an opening (a shaft, if you will) for the placement of the crane. What happens to this opening when the building is complete?
I assume many, if not all, buildings that require the use of cranes during their construction will have these shafts in them, so do they become shafts for service elevators or something? Just curious.
I assume many, if not all, buildings that require the use of cranes during their construction will have these shafts in them, so do they become shafts for service elevators or something? Just curious.
sub-basements, parking garages, utilities, storage, etc, i'd say.
posted by amberglow at 11:28 AM on August 20, 2005
posted by amberglow at 11:28 AM on August 20, 2005
Best answer: Every tall building has what's called a "service core", which includes elevator shafts, stairwells, plumbing, electrical, data/voice, HVAC, and other things, all of which are installed after the building's structure is complete. The "kangaroo crane" or tower crane can be located in this service core or -- more likely -- along the outer edge of the structure, where it's easier to dismantle.
The service core can be a path for fire to spread, so usually there is a firewall between it and the occupied space. Surprisingly, even though it seems to be a big hole in the building, when stiffened with firewalls and vertical structural elements, the service core can be the strongest part of the building.
posted by dhartung at 4:05 PM on August 20, 2005
The service core can be a path for fire to spread, so usually there is a firewall between it and the occupied space. Surprisingly, even though it seems to be a big hole in the building, when stiffened with firewalls and vertical structural elements, the service core can be the strongest part of the building.
posted by dhartung at 4:05 PM on August 20, 2005
It's actually not a big deal to fill in the hole in the floor framing at each level after the crane is disassembled. I worked on a building where this was the case. If this is a steel-framed building, they can just go in and set the missing steel beams in place, put metal deck on top, and pour the concrete floor.
But yes it is convienent if they can locate the crane inside holes in the framing that will be left open as folks mentioned above, like HVAC shafts, stairwell or elevator shafts, etc. But this also means they can't install the stairs, elevator, or whatever until the crane is gone.
posted by pitchblende at 11:57 AM on August 21, 2005
But yes it is convienent if they can locate the crane inside holes in the framing that will be left open as folks mentioned above, like HVAC shafts, stairwell or elevator shafts, etc. But this also means they can't install the stairs, elevator, or whatever until the crane is gone.
posted by pitchblende at 11:57 AM on August 21, 2005
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posted by kindall at 10:53 AM on August 20, 2005