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December 18, 2024
Is that a wall, I see?
We are starting to see the building emerge from the ground. The crews are setting up the forms for the back walls near the parking deck and along McDowell Street. The wall forms consist of large panels, and inside those large panels is a network of rebar. The rebar adds extra strength to the concrete once it is poured into the forms.
Equipment highlight
If you have been watching the construction site, you may have noticed a person driving a remote-controlled trench roller around the site. Construction crews use this device to compact the soil on construction sites. Compacting the soil reduces air pockets creating a denser stable base, which helps to prevent settlement and potential cracks in concrete.
How does a trench roller work?
A trench roller uses weight and vibrations to compact the soil. The roller's drum or tires have weights that generate high-frequency vibrations. As the machine moves forward, the drums' vibration creates both impact and pressure, removing air pockets and compacting the soil, creating a densely packed surface. The process is done in layers. The machine rolls over the area in a slow, controlled manner and then repeats the process until the entire area is compacted.
The remote-control device uses infrared technology, which stops the machines if the operator loses sight of it.
December 10, 2024
Have you noticed the many plastic pipes grouped together at the new City Hall construction site?
What are these pipes and what are they for? This group of pipes is used for a system called a duct bank.
What is a Duct Bank?
A duct bank is an underground utility system for electric and telecommunication cables. It consists of multiple pipes called PVC conduits, which organize and protect cables.
Why Do We Use Duct Banks?
The purpose of duct banks is to organize and protect wires and cables. The underground system protects wires and cables from electrical fires, weather, strain, and more. The PVC pipes also keep the wires and cables separated and orderly. Duct banks are mostly used in larger public buildings that require large amounts of wiring like office buildings, schools, hospitals, and data centers.
December 4, 2024
The team presented a construction project update during the City Council Meeting this week. The project was reported to be 12 percent complete and on schedule. We also heard about the communication efforts and the public art. The public art project planned for Raleigh's new City Hall is a generative light installation that will learn and evolve with its environment. The artwork will exist in two realms: the physical environment, experienced through sight, and the virtual environment, experienced through sound. To learn more about public art, visit the City Hall Public Art project page.