Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

...I spent over a year of my life in charge of the placement of the reiforcement steel for the colossal structure http://www.nmai.si.edu/ on the mall in the nations capitol, some of you might have watched the progress on the web cam site during it's construction. All I can say is that it was a challenge, there's not a straight line to be found in this structure, which is one big concrete sculpture, I feel honored to have been a part of such a huge undertaking.......wired mark....click explore the museum in lower right of home page to get an idea of the structure.

A great looking space, wired! nice to know you had an important hand in this place. i'd love to see the finished product and all that it encompasses.

do you happen to know who the architect was that did the design?

thx.

neat mark

am aware many natives work with steel, mostly of the high altitude type...cannot remember if primarily iroquois or mohawk...think it's mohawk

i know many canadian natives work in nyc in steel...many went down after 9/11...

great work, WIRED

You are a PhS now (Doctor of Steel)

can we look for a Rodia Towers sculpture to appear in Balt'more soon?

What do I think? Nice work if you can get it.

"It is the first of all problems for a man to find out what kind of work he is to do in this universe."
"Quanto mas que cada uno es hijo de sus obras."

Heights scare the bejeezus out of me, I suppose that is why I enjoyed working high rise, the thrill of facing one's fears while getting paid to do it. I remember the first day on the job crawling on my hands and knees from 'I' beam to 'I' beam, I finally got to the point I could walk the beams. The steel workers were fearless I watched one welder reach out and grab a cable on the scaffold that was down a floor or two, he had on heavy gloves and he just slid down to where the scaffold was.
The last building I worked high rise was about twenty stories it was the pyramid shaped condominium on the beach in Ocean City. Thinking about what heaven is, the quote from Romain Roland about the oceanic feeling.
Standing on the roof of that building and looking out at the ocean was heaven for me. One of those "crumbs of happiness"
Those buildings in DC, I think there is a law that they cannot be taller then the Washington Monument.
I worked on the Forestal building when they were pouring the footers, the deepest hole I have ever seen.

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I am chagrined to read what I posted to you about miracle doctors, I totaly missed the part "botched operation"
it is my colossal vanity that makes me read fast.

Wonderful Place
and what an amazing website. It's a trip just to watch the menus change.

thanks, mark and col ha cavod (great respect to you)

judih

cecil....check this out for architectural info. http://nationalgeographic.com/news/2004 ... useum.html
knip.....yes the Mohawk tribe is definitely known for their high steel prowess and I have also worked with many Seneca tribesmen here in D.C.
stilltrucking....I started working in high places at an early age and it's all I've ever known, sometimes I catch myself taking it for granted, there is an exhilaration being up there high and free, I can remember back in the early 70's when I was pile driving on the outerbanks of North Carolina loving to ride that headache ball up to unshackle those piles 2 0r 3 times a day. These days 100% tie off is the rule and rarely is the time when you are in danger with a harness on...now in the old days we took a lotta chances.
judih.....this was a challenging job indeed, every thing we did rebar wise was actually sculpted into forms before the concrete was poured, I was really lucky to have the best guys around to help, and they were paid well for the task.

Vertigo, I think I have it or had it. That twenty story building I remember the first day up on the job I stood at the edge of the roof and had a strong urge to fall as if something was trying to pull me off the edge. They would tell me not to look down but sometimes I would forget.

It was an amazing view from the top of that pyramid, seemed as if I could see the white cliffs of dover from there. The ocean went on for ever wave after wave.

One guy was blown right off the roof, it may be bullshit I did not see how it happened, I heard he was carrying a sheet of plywood and it the wind caught it like a para-sail. The wind was always blowing in from the ocean it seemed.

thanks for bringing that image back to mind, going to keep it dusted off and shining in my third eye