Some correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Steve has addressed this issue before by saying that the viewing privileges for their cam was set up the way it was because of other issues and couldn't be opened to everyone.

Yes, I found it in post number 672 of the Devon Tower Construction Cam thread. This is what he said:

Without getting into details, the subscriber wall was needed for reasons other than profit. For what it's worth, I expected someone to raise this issue, so I'm totally cool with you raising it. But please believe me when I say, if profit were the motive here, I'm pretty sure the cam would be open to all, allowing for greater hits on the page to bring in advertisers.

Not plausible, sorry.

Not plausible, sorry.

^^

Musch...

Not plausible, sorry.

Entirely plausible....just doesn't fit with the "everybody is getting $crewed" theory many share. And Steve hasn't lied before.

Can anybody go down there and take pics today or tommorrow?

Can anybody go down there and take pics today or tommorrow?

Here is one photo of the site from a few days ago. (http://zachnash.com/blog/2010/07/view-from-the-garage.html)

Can anybody go down there and take pics today or tommorrow?

Vandy and I are going down this afternoon.

Here is one photo of the site from a few days ago. (http://zachnash.com/blog/2010/07/view-from-the-garage.html)

http://zachnash.com/blog/tower_south_blog.jpg

Thanks Zach for sharing those photos. It verified what I was thinking that the core has infact exceeded the height of the new garage. Those were very well constructed shots! Well done!

Welcome Devonshire.....have you heard what their plans are for nightime LIGHTING? Surely they already know, or at least have several valid options, and perhaps haven't made up their mind yet? or do they just want to keep it secret? We already know so many details about what the final building will look like, once completed. I just like details and this, to me, seems rather important for all of us "after dark" going to and from downtown. Am really curious to know anything about this topic....thanks

Welcome Devonshire.....have you heard what their plans are for nightime LIGHTING? Surely they already know, or at least have several valid options, and perhaps haven't made up their mind yet? or do they just want to keep it secret? We already know so many details about what the final building will look like, once completed. I just like details and this, to me, seems rather important for all of us "after dark" going to and from downtown. Am really curious to know anything about this topic....thanks
Ditto.

thanks kinggober!

As always you can find more here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/53062852@N00/)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4799948818_64a74c34ae_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4121/4799948250_edeccd4ba3_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4799315247_e51eea49cb_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4143/4799315029_0a2d613d65_b.jpg

It looks like the floor plate is changing for the fifth floor. This floor must be past the rotunda.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4799948520_3ae8d2faae_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4799948758_dabf651e0f_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4799948464_314cdf91ae_b.jpg

Great pics King. Thanks for going out. Has the Orkin bug been bothering you lately?

Thanks, King..

Great pics King. Thanks for going out. Has the Orkin bug been bothering you lately?

Nope we had unrestricted access to the entire garage!

Love the shots! I think all the scaffolding is awesome. Is that pipe hooked up to anything? NM, I see the wrappings on the end..

Thanks for the great photos Kinggober! All of you photographers do such a great job of taking shots of the areas we all want to see the most. It let's us all be there to see the whole site...I especially liked the shot of the large plumbing that would soon be buried away from view...

Well done as always Kinggober!!! What a great way to end a Friday with great new photos of the site! I know it has been said many times before but the enormity and scale of this project is just mind boggling!!!! This thing is HUGE by all definitions of the word!

Very nice pics, KingGobber. Thanks.

FWIW, I'll be out there on July 28th. That's a ways away, but I am trying to save my fuel costs, so I try to group-plan things for certain days. I have a meeting I'm attending at City Hall on the 28th, so I don't mind walking across the street afterwards.

Anyone know what floor they might be on by that date? 7th 8th? They appear to be working on the 6th physical floor as we speak. (which counts the mezzanine -- whether or not that is an actual numbered floor)

http://zachnash.com/blog/tower_south_blog.jpg

Thanks King. I looked at the others on Flickr and on image 6226 where they layed the rebar and all of that. Do you know what thats going to be?

I am looking closely at the pictures and notice how much massive space the cores is taking.... There do not appear to be much room for offices. Just look at the surrounding around the cores....only big enough for hall/walkway.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4799948758_dabf651e0f_b.jpg



You can see excess post tension cable that will go into the north building's floor.

I am looking closely at the pictures and notice how much massive space the cores is taking.... There do not appear to be much room for offices. Just look at the surrounding around the cores....only big enough for hall/walkway.

Was wondering that myself. Not much room for cubicles.

Entirely plausible....just doesn't fit with the "everybody is getting $crewed" theory many share. And Steve hasn't lied before.

Agreed, I totally trust Steve on this. In the major scheme of things though, I don't think it's an issue worth getting upset about. I don't think our soldiers in Afghanistan are too worried about if they can view the cam for free.

Was wondering that myself. Not much room for cubicles.

I think you would be very surprised. It's like walking through a house being built. The floor space always looks small until it's enclosed and finished and you realize how much space is really there.

Plus.... not everyone of those elevator shafts will go to the very top.

What? No room for offices/cubicles? What are you guy's smoking. Do you all realize how MASSIVE this thing is? Thunder you really owe yourself a trip down to the parking garage to see how massive this thing is. Pics don't do it near justice when it comes to scale.

I am looking closely at the pictures and notice how much massive space the cores is taking.... There do not appear to be much room for offices. Just look at the surrounding around the cores....only big enough for hall/walkway.


Yeah you need to go look at it in person. You are greatly underestimating how large this thing is.

Plus.... not everyone of those elevator shafts will go to the very top.

Well, the cores do, but the open shafts do not. You can stick a good sized office or storage space in one of the cores. Someone posted an upper level diagram a while back.



Another thing to think about Thunder is that one core holds enough space for eight elevator cars with a lobby/hallway that could hold four elevator cars.

After the 6th floor it looks like the floor heights change from about 21ft to about 16ft. I'm guessing they'll remove a set of the blue trusses from each floor form.

http://imaginativeamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/devon_12_southelevation.jpg

This means these floors should start flying up really soon. I can't wait.

the changes on floor heights doesn't happen until the 8th floor. it changes from 20' floors to 14' 8". a friend of mine works there.

Will somebody be doing a graphic update for Devon-tower progress like Chuwalla does on the Skyscraper page? Would be great for the rest of us if someone has the knowledge and time to do so.

Looks like the dirt ramp into the pit is being removed

I drove by downtown a couple of days ago and I was amazed at how much had progressed. You can see a bunch from 40 now.

Looks like the dirt ramp into the pit is being removed

And it looks like the concrete ramp next to the garage isn't even complete yet. Then again, would there be a need to get any further vehicles in the pit?

Only reason keeping the ramp in my opinion would be for emergency vehicles. Say a worker gets injured and needs an ambulance, get them as close as possible.

I've been away for a bit, sorry for the lack of news!

To answer an earlier question about the lighting: I don't know, sadly. I'm trying to find that out.

Here's another update, albeit a week late:

-Crews are currently framing the third floor of the east podium, which is due north of the tower.
-About two-thirds of the tower’s fifth floor has been poured. Crews recently began framing the sixth floor.
-Crews are finishing the exterior foundation wall to prepare for the framing and pouring of the site’s ground level. This level will eventually cover the basement and areas surrounding the tower, podium, rotunda and auditorium. The level will be covered with sod, landscaping, granite and water features upon the project’s completion.
-Framing has already begun for the ground level due south of the tower.
-Crews are currently pouring the foundation for several areas of the basement.
-Concrete for the first portion of the loading dock has been poured.
-Did You Know? The tower currently stands about 70 feet above ground level, and rises 90 feet from the basement floor.

Thanx for the updates Devonshire!

thanks for the great update

To answer an earlier question about the lighting: I don't know, sadly. I'm trying to find that out.


I heard from some guy who overheard another guy who talked to this one lady who talked to a guy around the site who mentioned something about there being some sort of lighting going up the building on the corners!

I heard from some guy who overheard another guy who talked to this one lady who talked to a guy around the site who mentioned something about there being some sort of lighting going up the building on the corners!

We must have spoken to the same guy as I have heard the same thing... Was he tall and skinny, dark hair, kinda goofy looking?

Has anyone spotted a personnel/construction elevator rising up the side of the building yet?

We must have spoken to the same guy as I have heard the same thing... Was he tall and skinny, dark hair, kinda goofy looking?

Could have been the same guy!

Here is a picture...they are removing the scaffolding on the first floor, you can somewhat see the mini second floor.
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w219/ndobbs84/92f536e4.jpg

Floor plate moving up.

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w219/ndobbs84/92f536e4.jpg[/QUOTE]

what are those blue things hanging out the side?

what are those blue things hanging out the side?

They are to give the tower crane a place to set material that is needed on that floor. The crane can set a pallet or other items, and then workers can move it easily in the building. Items can be removed (trash, etc) the same way.

A question for you engineers/architects out there...how much of the strength that supports this tower will be provided by the outer "skin" of metal framework and windows? Not sure how one could articulate that properly, but there must be some way to quantify it. Thanks.

A question for you engineers/architects out there...how much of the strength that supports this tower will be provided by the outer "skin" of metal framework and windows? Not sure how one could articulate that properly, but there must be some way to quantify it. Thanks.

Hi, engineer here. The outer "skin" of the tower gives no support for the tower. The entire weight of the tower is transferred to the columns/cores.

Hi, engineer here. The outer "skin" of the tower gives no support for the tower. The entire weight of the tower is transferred to the columns/cores.

Thanks Dulahey...I wondered if they provided any sort of tensile strength at all...the cores seem to be the main support...sort of like a Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas--with a building wrapped around it...:tiphat:

Wonder if another core will rise today?

So assuming that the forms they're setting now are for Level 7, will every floor hereafter rise with greater speed? What is the difference, again, between the post tension floors and every floor above that? These new floors will still have all the rebar and everything won't they? Thanks for answers in advance!

The current floors that they have been pouring have been traditional mild steel (please correct me if I am wrong as I haven't seen detail of the floor slabs while exposed) This is evident by the use of the void forms that they are using to create a series of beams to carry the loads to the columns, rather than relying mostly on the draped post tension cables that you would see layed out all over the place to carry and distribute the load from the diaphram of the slab to the columns and cores. Now there is Post tensioned cables being used with in the beams of the north building and they go back to and at least tie into the columns if not all the way to the cores, but this is only in the main beams of the North Building.

I would love to hear from one of the structural engineers or Devonshire if he happens to know, if they are going to go to post tensioned system or if they will continue with the current system all the way up.

Is this right?

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/9251/devonsouthelevation2010.jpg

Yes, that is right and it sure puts things into stark perspective.

But of course since that rendering was released, the podium was reduced to 5 floors and the building went down to 50 and 850 feet.

I'm actually 6 1/2 miles WNW of there but that sounds about right. "Top of Podium" looks like the level they're setting the forms for now...

On another note, I can't wait till the building starts breaking certain gaps in the downtown skyline. Then maybe more people will feel it necessary to take pics from places farther away showing the building rising on the horizon. Soon enough it will be taller than anyone has access to snap pics of the construction from above!

I think it will be interesting as a we hit building milestones while the build remains unfinished:

Taller than this or that.
Tallest in OKC.
Tallest in Oklahoma.
etc...

I think it will be interesting as a we hit building milestones while the build remains unfinished:

Taller than this or that.
Tallest in OKC.
Tallest in Oklahoma.
etc...

It will be interesting as well when it gets over 600-ft and is still under construction and those passing through OKC from other states see it and say...WTF! I am sure it will be a total surprise to many who are not aware of what is happening locally...:ohno: