Footings and Foundation
What holds a building up? Answer: the earth. But between the earth and the building is something called the foundation. The foundation is meant to provide something rigid, strong and level on which we can build the Heagney Theatre.
The vast majority of foundations both commercial and residential are constructed of concrete. It is an amazing substance. It's basically comprised of portland cement, tiny rocks (the aggregate) and water (among some other things). When this stuff is mixed together, a very basic chemical reaction occurs that results in a very strong solid (concrete). It's easy to use (it pours), it's pretty inexpensive, and it can conform to just about any shape foundation an architect can think of.
The foundation of the Heagney is kind of complex. The hole you see towards Big Bend is the lowest part of the theater, the basement really, and in it we'll build the art room, ceramics, prop storage and some other rooms towards the back (the West driveway). It will be served by a stairway and elevator. It will be a fun place to explore...the one portion of this basement which penetrates into the actual theatre is the orchestra pit! This small space is between and below the seats and stage.
No one has figured out how to build a building from the roof down, so we dig a big hole in the earth far enough down where we can start pouring a solid foundation of concrete. Once we have foundation walls, we'll start to pack soil pack around the walls using the stockpile of dirt you see towering over the school near the adminstration offices. The activities you'll see in the next couple of weeks will be primarily foundation related. We'll be on a fast pace to have the foundation ready to start setting steel during the first week of October. Then the building will start looking like something.
The vast majority of foundations both commercial and residential are constructed of concrete. It is an amazing substance. It's basically comprised of portland cement, tiny rocks (the aggregate) and water (among some other things). When this stuff is mixed together, a very basic chemical reaction occurs that results in a very strong solid (concrete). It's easy to use (it pours), it's pretty inexpensive, and it can conform to just about any shape foundation an architect can think of.
The foundation of the Heagney is kind of complex. The hole you see towards Big Bend is the lowest part of the theater, the basement really, and in it we'll build the art room, ceramics, prop storage and some other rooms towards the back (the West driveway). It will be served by a stairway and elevator. It will be a fun place to explore...the one portion of this basement which penetrates into the actual theatre is the orchestra pit! This small space is between and below the seats and stage.
No one has figured out how to build a building from the roof down, so we dig a big hole in the earth far enough down where we can start pouring a solid foundation of concrete. Once we have foundation walls, we'll start to pack soil pack around the walls using the stockpile of dirt you see towering over the school near the adminstration offices. The activities you'll see in the next couple of weeks will be primarily foundation related. We'll be on a fast pace to have the foundation ready to start setting steel during the first week of October. Then the building will start looking like something.
posted by Dan at 3:19 PM
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