Archive for June, 2007
Movie Time
Thursday, June 28th, 2007It’s been a while since we entertained you with a video clip so I grabbed what I could today as Biddle construction workers formed and poured foundation shaft walls for the fifth and last elevator. This one is separated from the bank of four elevators at the building’s core, closer to Speakman and the loading dock on 13th Street. Interestingly, the two concrete basins already poured for the core elevators are serving temporarily as a water detention basin for all the rain we’ve had lately.  As I write this at 10:00 pm Thursday, it is raining again. Fortunately, these thunderstorms have struck at night and haven’t significantly slowed daily construction progress.
Service Elevator from John DeAngelo and Vimeo.
Prepping Last Elevator Shaft
Monday, June 25th, 2007It may look like just another hole to you, but this latest excavation represents the foundation for the 5th and last elevator. Located on the east side of Alter hall, this elevator is separate from the bank of four at the core of the building and will be used primarily as a service elevator.
Water Detention Basin
Thursday, June 21st, 2007
An AlterBlog reader correctly identified the purpose for the black “crates” piled high on Liacouras Walk. Here you can see how the hole fronting Liacouras Walk is partially filled with those crates and covered with a plastic or tar paper membrane. Runoff from the building or the walkway collects in the detention basin before making its way into the city sewer system.
Work Progressing on East Wall
Thursday, June 21st, 2007Work is progressing on the eastern foundation wall of Alter Hall. Note the sheets of visqueen covering the lagging. Unlike the other walls, lagging is used as the outside form for the east wall, requiring a differnet type of bracing to pour concrete (seen at left).
Maybe the Question of the Week Was too Hard?
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007QUESTION ANSWERED CORRECTLY … SEE “COMMENTS” BELOW.
Okay then … let’s try a clue. Those black boxes have something to do with the picture below. Check the previous day’s question and thumbnail of the mystery objects for Monday, June 18.
Question of the Week
Monday, June 18th, 2007OK … it’s been a while since we had one of our little contests. If you look at the AlterCam you can see a group of black boxes to the far right, or if you are on campus, you pass a similar grouping along Liacouras Walk. What are these crates and how will they be used? A Fox School electronics/cosmetics bag for the best answer.
The Alter Blogger is Baaack!
Friday, June 15th, 2007
Drainage stone spread across Alter floor in preparation for slab pouring.
Well, after two delightful weeks in sunny Northern California, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be back in overcast and thunderstorm-prone Philadelphia 
Actually, my last two days were spent in Happy Valley visiting the new Smeal School of Business at Penn State. There are a good many similarities between Penn State’s goals in building a new business facility and our own. Their building costs around $70 million, ours will be around $80. Theirs is 210,000 square feet, ours 206,000 (not counting Speakman Hall). Like Penn State, we put a premium on student professional development, technology, globalization and entrepreneurship. In both cases our business buildings are proxies for the excellence contained their in. So as you might guess, I was very interested to learn what they had done well and what pitfalls to avoid as we progress on our own project.
It is quite exciting to, in effect, fast forward 19 months to see what those foundation walls and soil cellar will look like when Alter Hall opens in 2009. Thank you, Smeal, for reminding us that all the planning, inconvenience, noise, and disruption will have a Happy (not Valley) ending!
Liacouras Walk & Montgomery Ave.
Thursday, June 7th, 2007
Constuction Updates
Tuesday, June 5th, 2007
Work Continues
Monday, June 4th, 2007
John DeAngelo