Masonry Magazine July 1978 Page. 18
Enclosure of polyethylene protects working area from weather and wind on the Grange Mutual Insurance Co. office building project in Columbus, Ohio. Morgen scaffolding helped to solve several major construction problems which could have caused serious setbacks.
MONEY-SAVING IDEAS FOR MASON CONTRACTORS
Tower Scaffolding Solves Problems
On 174-foot Brick Veneer Project
THE PROBLEM
Some difficult scaffolding problems were encountered when work began on the Grange Mutual Insurance Co. office building in Columbus, Ohio. The job called for 174 feet of brick veneer, and work was to continue through the winter, which turned out to be one of the most severe in memory. An architectural overhang at one corner of the building also presented a puzzling situation, which a swing stage could not effectively handle.
THE SOLUTION
The selection of Morgen Scaffolding towers not only solved the problems but saved the contractor, R. W. Setterlin & Sons Co. of Columbus, a considerable amount of money in several ways.
Setterlin was able to start masonry veneer when only three-fourths of the steel was set, thereby getting a much earlier start than would have been possible with a swing stage, as well as speeding up the completion.
Dave Morgan, project manager, reported: "Our schedule demanded that construction continue during the winter months, and we had to get the masonry started and the building closed in as quickly as possible. In the past, we usually have used swings for our high work, but Morgen Scaffolding has proved to do the best job."
Setterlin used 216½ lineal feet of Morgen Scaffolding with the overhead and winter protection brackets that allowed the work area to be enclosed efficiently.
According to masonry superintendent Dave Barbee: "There was some doubt about going 174 feet high with the Morgen towers, but after experiencing 60 mph winds and the worst winter in Central Ohio history, they withstood the worst conditions and kept the masonry work on schedule."
Even after the decision had been made to use Morgen, there was still a doubt about how to scaffold one area of the building. At approximately 130 feet up on the diagonal wall, an air intake soffit protruded out nine feet from the face of the wall and extended up 44 feet to the top. It would have presented a major problem for a swinging stage, but the solution with Morgen towers was simple. Setterlin set up a second row of towers six feet directly in front of the existing towers and tied them to the first row with stiff arms. The platforms on the second row took an express trip to the 130-foot level and were used to finish out the last 44 feet of brick on the protruding soffit.
The job required more than 200.000 Norwegian size jumbo face units and took five months to complete.
R. W. Setterlin reported erection and tear-down costs were far less than with tubular scaffolding. The firm said it received excellent production from its masons, who were kept constantly at ideal working height on the high-rise structure. One of the masons remarked happily, "Morgen is the only thing to use in the winter."