Bridging the Future

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Bridging the Future

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These two pedestrian bridges span Convention Avenue and connect the brand new patient Pavilion to the existing Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine – permanently linking two of the most advanced medical facilities on the campus of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

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They will allow patients and doctors to cross easily between the two.

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We had a huge hand in dismantling the old building where the Pavilion now sits. (read about it here)  We also worked with Penn Medicine several times on the new building construction (read here) so it was only fitting that when CM, LF Driscoll, Balfour Beatty JV, needed someone to erect a scaffold to help assemble the two massive pedestrian bridges they called Superior.

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So how did we do it?  Well, the new Pavilion building was designed to receive the giant steel structure but the Perelman Center was not so we had to start there.  It was our job to erect two giant work decks that would allow crews access to cut into the building exposing the structural steel so the other ends of the bridges could be attached.

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We assembled two giant scaffolds on the Perelman side of Convention Avenue about 30 feet apart.  These had to be strong enough to allow multiple trades to work simultaneously. Crews would have to remove windows, siding, and much more to expose the super structure beneath.

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These two bridges are known as bridge two and bridge three.

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We started by assembling canopies or overhead protection systems on two parts of Convention Ave. roughly 30 feet apart.  This would allow for pedestrian traffic to travel freely below while we erected the scaffold on top.  There was roughly 60’ of overhead protection on each. 

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We then set about erecting the system scaffold that would be the work decks to help attach bridge number 2.  Each scaffold would be erected partially on the ground and on the canopy itself.  The tower for bridge 2 was roughly 40’ high X 32’ long X 23’ wide.  There were two work decks, one at 32’ high and the other at 40’ high.  There was a stair tower to allow access and debris netting on the sides.  There were a few unique pieces added to make these decks work – including 21 foot trusses to help span the gap and carry the weight.

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Some of these photos were taken during assembly.

https://youtu.be/87hAnSXfMRQ

The second tower to handle bridge number 3 was the next to go up.  It was 60’ high X 32’ long X 23’ wide with work decks at three elevations, 26’, 43’ and 60’.  It too had a stair tower for access and debris netting but also got a roof.

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This job was done in phases so we had to adapt and change the scaffold several times as crews got further into the opening the sides of the Perelman Center building.  The last big modification came just before the enormous bridges were flown into place by crane.  See the photo sequence below.

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The first section is craned into place.

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The second crane gets ready to lift the next section of bridge.

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With the left side of the bridge are moving closer together.

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The two pieces are almost in place.

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And here you can see the giant steel beam being set into place on bridge 3.

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We had to tear down the existing scaffold at the higher levels to make room for the giant steel to fly in.  Once in place, our crew had to reassemble the scaffold around the bridge so crews could get in and do all the finishing work.

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This was all done around a Covid shutdown that delayed the project for months.  But in the end, the job went off without a hitch and now connects two of the most modern medical buildings in the city of Philadelphia.

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We were proud to have worked on such a prestigious project.  Thanks to LF Driscoll, Balfour Beatty JV for bringing us along for the ride.

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If you need scaffold, access, or want Pat to take “pitures” of your job, call Superior Today at (215) 743-2200 or visit www.superiorscaffold.com today.

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And for today’s musical number we have…

 

Yep.  Did you know he sang this song?

Some info on the two buildings being connected.

 

The Perelman Center was designed to create an ideal environment for patient-focused care and collaboration among health professionals. The Perelman Center is home to Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, radiation oncology, cardiovascular medicine and an outpatient surgical pavilion. The Roberts Proton Therapy Center, part of the Abramson Cancer Center at Perelman, is a first-of-its-kind proton therapy center for the treatment of cancer. A unique architectural feature of the building is the glass atrium topping the structure and permitting sunlight to stream into all corners of the facility.

 

Until the new patient Pavilion, the Perelman Center was the largest capital project undertaken by Penn Medicine.  The Pavilion will house 500 private patient rooms and 47 operating rooms in a 1.5 million square foot, 17-story facility across from the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania and adjacent to the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine both on the campus of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

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