The Arts and Industries Building Revitalization
By: Erik Carlson, Project Engineer
The Smithsonian Arts and Industries project is 1 year into a 28-month schedule to revitalize the building envelope including the structural framing, roof, windows and masonry façade.
Current Status
The last of the interior scaffolding is currently being erected, which allows all of the roof and roof structure to be removed.
Demolition has been in full force clearing the way for the new roof structure to be erected. The South quad roof demolition is complete with the exception of the range roofs, which are scheduled to be removed later in the project. The rotunda roof has also been removed and window demolition has started in several areas of the building. Inside our demo crews have removed nearly all of the non-historic wall in-fills and are starting to remove the non-historic floor in-fills.
On the rotunda, the roof decking is almost complete which will allow for the roof work to start. Roof deck has also been installed on the South and West towers and installation of the roof substrates has been initiated. Inside the building, the reinforcing work is being performed on the range trusses, and this month a milestone will be met as the first truss is erected in the South hall.
What’s Next
Over the next several months the structural steel and roof work will progress through the South quadrant and the demolition work will continue through the West and North quadrants. The masons will be busy preparing the structural steel bearing pockets and masonry and stone restoration is starting on the building façade. Other work that has started includes the temporary plumbing work, pouring of concrete bearing walls and restoration of the existing roof ornaments.
Date Posted: November 7, 2011