Thanks for the welcome everyone. Getting ready for work now. The cranes can stand 300 feet tall freestanding. After that they are tied in approximately every 80-100 feet. They climb as the building does. Thats another thread in itself. You can look up tower crane climbing on u tube to learn more about the process. Have a great day!

great shots, Vandy!

I am fast getting to point where the tower will be too tall to get a good perspective from my vantage point. I'll take my camera tomorrow and see what I can get.

I now have shade in my office in afternoon!

It seems they're starting to pick up pace on the floors! i can't wait to see this b uilding shoot up! What a great time to live in OKC!!!!!

Matthew,
We checked into this and wanted to follow-up with you. Devon’s security team was very surprised at this incident, as they have never objected to people taking photographs of the construction project. In fact, they often encourage people to take photos from safe areas within our garage (the ninth floor offers the best views!) and even highlight points of interest to photographers when they see them in our garage. Thus, we think a contractor working on the project may have asked you or others to leave, not knowing that photography is allowed. Devon security only asks people to leave if they are loitering, peeking in cars, or are in an unsafe area where construction is ongoing. For example, several areas of our garage are closed for construction, such as the top floor and areas along the west side where our wellness center is being built. We want to thank you for bringing this to our attention, as Devon’s security team has talked with our contractors on the project to let them know that we do not object to photography as long as photos are taken from a safe area. If this happens to you again, please ask the person’s name and let us know of the incident.
Again, we appreciate your interest in the project.
Best,
Alesha
Alesha M. Leemaster
Senior Communications Specialist
Devon Energy Corp.
405 228 8413 office


Good news.

Well done SkywestOKC! I had a feeling Devon would not be opposed to this fine forum wanting to observe and document this fine project. You must have used a great written/verbal exposition to have achieved these results. :bow::bow::bow:

I am glad to see that Devon responded in this matter.

Pictures taken today at noon from IRS building, SW corner.
The construction is about to outgrow my range!

Flickr: Lauri101's Photostream (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lauri101/?saved=1)

SkyWest, didn't you have this run-in in the East garage?

If so, that is not owned by Devon. It's owned by the investment group that owns Oklahoma Tower and Leadership Square and I'm sure they have their own security.

Was the incident with security personnel or contractors?



In any event, yet another nice PR job by Devon. SandRidge needs to sign up for lessons.

Great photos Lauri101...thanks!

West garage.

I was waiting for a Devon response before posting my pics. Now that I know I'm legal, I will post them tomorrow. I would post them now, but instead I will be downtown tomorrow morning anyway, so I will run up on the garage again and get newer photos. I'll post the older ones and the newer ones tomorrow.

I'd like to see some pics from Big Gene's vantage point!

Yeah me too! He has the best view of all! (besides the taller tower crane, of course!)

Okay.

Friday's pics:

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6247/img4086k.jpg
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/507/img4078t.jpg
http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/6861/img4080r.jpg
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/4030/img4081p.jpg
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6254/img4082k.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/7242/img4083c.jpg
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9056/img4084v.jpg
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/7820/img4085x.jpg

Today's pics: (didn't get hassled today, the person who talked me over really good the other day drove by in his buggy, gave me the death stare and then drove off [reminded me of the Terminix commercial where the bug drives the car, looks out at the Terminix guy, and then punches the gas knowing he lost])


http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3661/img4406x.jpg
http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/770/img4390.jpg
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/6996/img4391.jpg
http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/355/img4392w.jpg
http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/3984/img4393k.jpg
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2762/img4394hr.jpg
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/3259/img4395g.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/929/img4397g.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4103/img4398d.jpg
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6460/img4399o.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/3351/img4400c.jpg
http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/7682/img4401i.jpg
http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/3317/img4404r.jpg

Great images! Thanks for going through what you did to get them! They were worth it!!

Thanks for the great and informative photos Skywest...they show many things I have not been able to see well before. You choices are quite good for subjects. Glad the Orkin Man ran off the "bug" people before you had to endure seeing them asking you if you were planning to go "dipping-skinny"! :LolLolLol

Orkin! Not Terminix, that's what I was thinking of. So many bug spray commercials on TV anymore.

Great pics! Thanks to everyone who posts them!

Wow, the pace is really starting pick up now. Looks like another floor pour tonight judging from those pictures.

I like 4397g (6th from the bottom). The depth in it is great and it shows how much higher (third floor) it is than, already, the convention center. God, this thing will be kicking some butt come start of the next NBA season. It will look AWESOME at night walking back to my car north of the Ford Center!

It will interesting to see how the curtain wall looks when they start installing it in August/September.

I like 4397g (6th from the bottom). The depth in it is great and it shows how much higher (third floor) it is than, already, the convention center. God, this thing will be kicking some butt come start of the next NBA season. It will look AWESOME at night walking back to my car north of the Ford Center!

I hope it is done by the time OKC wins it's first NBA title...we came close to getting the Lakers this year--and they went on to win it all. At least it will be up by then...maybe some old Seattle folks who made those disparaging remarks about us will be here to see it...they have been a great source of pride for OKC and it's only just begun. I hope they consider using the Tower for some fireworks displays in the future as well. :omg:

jn1780 was correct, they did pour some floor. All that remains to be poured is the north side of that floor. Looks like that will be tonight as they are tieing rebar in on that portion of it.

I think from this point on there will be a pour every night on the tower until they reach the top. Except when weather delays them of course.

They may be close to their floor per week schedule. It takes two days to pour the columns and core walls for one floor section. It takes them another three days to pour the floor sections. This adds up to be about nine days and there will be some overlapping of tasks which will shrink this number some.

...

(didn't get hassled today, the person who talked me over really good the other day drove by in his buggy, gave me the death stare and then drove off [reminded me of the Terminix commercial where the bug drives the car, looks out at the Terminix guy, and then punches the gas knowing he lost])


Freakin' Hysterical!

This question has probably already been answered, but I didn't feel like dredging through 77 pages to try to find it... how long before they start removing the scaffolding supports between the floors?

They just moved a floor form to the next floor

I was told by a construction worker that the blue frames are what will be mainly reusable, the shoring (what I was told) gets re-applied each floor, and the blue frame gets replaced by regular scaffolding as they move up. So, the shoring will remain there until they take the scaffolding out from under it, then they will re-use the shoring and blue frames.

Hope that makes sense.

This question has probably already been answered, but I didn't feel like dredging through 77 pages to try to find it... how long before they start removing the scaffolding supports between the floors?

I remember somebody saying that it takes concrete roughly 27 days to cure. So, all that yellow scaffolding between ground level and floor 2 is going to be there for, still, a little while longer. As far as the blue trusses that stabilize the prefab floor pieces, I'd think it's 27 days for those too, but if what King says above is true, then it may be much shorter.

Thanks Skywest. I was trying to explain the above when a customer came in. That sounds pretty fair...

You are correct Skywest, the Pre assembled segments of formwork and shoring will be pulled at some interval (probably every other or third floor) and at the same time they are pulling the form they will install (re-shore) supports to carry the load until the concrete reaches its designed strength.

I am also curious to see if they are going to continue the same method of using mild steel for the reinforcing. The only place that I have seen the post tensioned beams is on the building to the north of the tower. I had anticipated that the floors would all be PT after the first few, but it is looking like that may not be the case. At least I have not seen the detail enough to notice any PT cables being layed out.

I would love to hear from one of the structural engineers who is familliar with this to see if the entire structure is going to be mild steel reinforced. I am encoraged by seeing the pace accelerate! They are really starting to move!

I was told by a construction worker that the blue frames are what will be mainly reusable, the shoring (what I was told) gets re-applied each floor, and the blue frame gets replaced by regular scaffolding as they move up. So, the shoring will remain there until they take the scaffolding out from under it, then they will re-use the shoring and blue frames.

Hope that makes sense.

There is another layer of forms that are floating on top of the blue structure decking. Those forms must be what stays behind.

What I love about it is when you are there in person watching it, it seems to be moving so fast, but you don't really see anything changing. You come back the next day and the site looks completely different.

The construction "horns" were really going off a lot today! Wish I could figure out the codes. Sometimes it's one long blast, or two short, etc. I'm pretty sure they have something to do with the towers and things moving, but haven't been able to figure out what each horn means.

Anyone?

The construction "horns" were really going off a lot today! Wish I could figure out the codes. Sometimes it's one long blast, or two short, etc. I'm pretty sure they have something to do with the towers and things moving, but haven't been able to figure out what each horn means.

Anyone?

I bet Big Gene can tell us what these are all about... :)

From what I can tell, whenever something is lifted and when a lifted item is coming down, the horns sound. No idea if there's any significance to the type of blasts.

Come on Big Gene, fill us in!

They are probably to make sure everyone involved is aware something is moving above them, next to them, etc.

Atleast, at the airport, the bells would go off on the jetway when they were moving to/from the plane to let the ramp agents know that it is moving and to remain clear/eyes open.

The way the horns sound are just however the operater wants to do it.

Does anyone know what happened to the lighting on the site? I know that with the start of the 5th floor that the lights of the eastern most tower crane are now illuminating the 4th slab and being trapped under the 5th floor forms but I wouldn't have thought that it would have made that big a difference. Something else has got to be going on that is darkening the entire site. I can't see anything!

I thought my monitor was just screwing with me.

Also the web cam is stuck unless Armageddon is about to be unleashed upon Okc and it is as dark as midnight there in which case all should flee for their lives.

Acht! Mein Gott!! Die Kamera ist kaput!!

http://www.horrorstew.com/images/DarknessFallsBox.jpg

I've NEVER trusted the Tooth Fairy--not for a single moment--least of all with a damn handfull of loose change...:poke:

Acht! Mein Gott!! Die Kamera ist kaput!!

Das ist nicht sehr gut!!!

Let there be light!

PS - check out the guy hanging from the building to the left!

Let there be light!

PS - check out the guy hanging from the building to the left!

He's finally gone. Break must be over!

what a surprise! i go to bed and the lights are out, can't see much. wake up today, and they've started a new floor! cool

Looks like the entire project is going to be based on clockwise movement from the NE corner. Except for the cores going up, it looks like the order for that is counter-clockwise (S, NE, NW).

Pace is picking up big time.

Looks like the entire project is going to be based on clockwise movement from the NE corner. Except for the cores going up, it looks like the order for that is counter-clockwise (S, NE, NW).

Pace is picking up big time.

The core walls are built in a clockwise order also except for the second wall of the NE core. They have to jump sequence to that wall so they can jump the NE core to prepare for the floor pour.

I was talking about the core forms, not necessarily the core itself. I wasn't clear, my fault.

By late next week, the Crystal Bridge will be out of sight!

I was talking about the core forms, not necessarily the core itself. I wasn't clear, my fault.

I know, I agree with everything you said. I was just making observations and comments.

Sorry if this is a retread question: has it been officially determined if the current floor they're working on (and by that I mean the level that already has an entire floor in place) is the third or the fourth (fourth floor assumes that the smaller portion of the ground floor is considered a second floor, I believe. There was some discussion about that a week or two ago) above ground level? To me it looks like the third, but I wondered if someone knows for certain. Thanks. It's really fun to see this quicker pace.

I was told by a construction worker that the mezzanine floor was not considered a floor to them, the current floor they are building on (the one with the forms just going on to it) is the 4th. The one about to be finished pouring is the 3rd.

If my memory serves me correct. Ground floor is the 1st floor, and basement is considered the -1 floor.

I was told by a construction worker that the mezzanine floor was not considered a floor to them, the current floor they are building on (the one with the forms just going on to it) is the 4th. The one about to be finished pouring is the 3rd.

If my memory serves me correct. Ground floor is the 1st floor, and basement is considered the -1 floor.

This has been an ongoing debate. I'm just going to start counting from where the first standard floor starts.

I'm just relaying with the construction workers told me. As of right now it's anybody's guess.

Not sure why anyone would object to photographs. Seems silly since there are tall buildings all around with many great vantage points.

I was run off from taking skyline pics on top of the Century Center garage by their mall cop security guard, but not til after she made me get in my car and show her my ID. It's ridiculous.

I was run off from taking skyline pics on top of the Century Center garage by their mall cop security guard, but not til after she made me get in my car and show her my ID. It's ridiculous.

Geheime Staats Polizei :omg:

I've heard Devon is counting the small floor as a floor. If that's the case they would be putting up forms for floor 5. Guess we won't know for sure until someone steps in the elevator for the first time.

I guess the only place to take pictures and not get run off is a public street or the Devon garage. That's nuts!

As the building grows taller, I'll bet they'll start labeling floors somewhere around the exterior for the benefit of workers. I've seen that in other cities, I think. Maybe we'll be able to see those markings.