Ironworkers Help Build Iconic Dome

The Ironworker, February 2015

“‘We worked hand in hand with the engineers and the architect to make sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit together right,’ says Ott. All of the dome’s pipe pieces, also called members, were made in shops in Salt Lake City and in Phoenix and then shipped to the site. Ott recalls that one of the biggest challenges was placing the pipe, known as ribs, and the sails of the dome. ‘When we picked up the sails, they were picked up at and then they were turned in the air and put in vertical position, then all the load went to the biggest crane we could fit on the jobsite,’ Ott recalls. The larger of the cranes was a 1300 Libbehrr, assisted by a 300 Hydro to tip the sails in the vertical position.”

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