Written by: Dan Daglish, member of the Sabot at Stony Point Board of Directors

Happy Halloween, everyone.

As the end of October approaches, we thought it was time for a spooky update on the progress of the new building. Since the last update in September, the form of the building is beginning to take shape.

Foundations

So where does the deadman* lie? One problem when you are pouring tons of flowable concrete into a tall thin object is the possibility of it falling over – while the skeletal structure is strong, it is not strong enough to ensure the steel forms don’t tip and make our walls crooked! The top of the wall must be secured in position – this is where the deadman comes to life! Have you noticed the large blocks of concrete just sitting around? These are the “deadmen” (see picture below)

Each deadman is secured to the top of the wall to hold the wall in place. Why do you think these blocks are called “deadmen?” We expect the cast-in-place concrete (CIP) walls to be completed in the next couple of weeks.

*Deadman: a heavy plate, wall, or block buried in the ground that acts as an anchor for a retaining wall

What’s Next?

With the cast-in-place concrete walls complete, construction will begin on the remainder of the structural concrete and steel CMU (concrete masonry unit) walls. The building will be supported with steel columns and the roof supported by timber trusses. The floors will be a combination of concrete slabs placed “on grade” (dirt and stone) and on hollowed-out concrete beams joined together to form a continuous support. 



We will continue to provide updates as the building progresses, and we make it through each significant stage.