In engineering terms, moving a building that weighs tons is relatively easy today.
In the last century the techniques have been refined, the machines in charge of the transfer are more powerful and the methods vary, from the installation of helium balloons to rails like those of trains or ropes.
Structures of all kinds have been relocated: old Victorian houses, apartment buildings, schools, factories and even entire bus stations.
But in the 1930s, moves of this kind posed a monumental challenge.
In the case of the Indiana Bell Telephone Company headquarters, in Indianapolis, United States, what was done is a bit more complicated: the construction was pivoted 90 degrees horizontally.
The building had eight floors and weighed 11,000 tons.
The incredible thing is that the process was carried out while the staff was still working inside the building.
Every morning while the work lasted, the company’s 600 workers entered and exited through a door that was not even in the same place as the day before.
A wooden moving platform allowed employees and the public to enter and exit the building at any time while the move was in progress.
Wires and pipes were lengthened to make this possible so there was no interruption to phone service or gas, heat, or sewerage.
The process was carried out in just over four weeks with pinpoint precision and gave the Indiana Bell Telephone Company, a subsidiary of AT&T, the long-awaited area to expand its headquarters.
More space
In 1929, the company’s managers realized that the space they had on North Meridian Street had become too small, so they thought about demolishing the old block, built in 1907, to build a larger structure. .
However, as a telephone company, the headquarters provided an essential service to the city and disconnecting it was not possible.
The solution that was adopted was to move the old structure to the rear plot to erect the new building on the vacant lot.
The transfer began in October 1930 with the help of dozens of manual hydraulic jacks and a steam engine.
“The agreed plan calls for the original eight-story building to be moved from its current corner location to the rear of the property,” wrote newspapers at the time.
The project “clears an area of 60 by 30 meters on which the new building will be erected,” the company’s board announced.
Over the next four weeks, the massive steel and brick building moved inch by inch 16 meters to the south, rotated 90 degrees, and then moved again 30 meters to the west.
The company did not lose a single day of work or interrupt its service during the entire period.
If the photographs of October 25 showed the façade, those of November 8 already saw the side and the cables that made movement possible, while the block was inches away from reaching its destination.
The building stood for 33 years in its new location, until it was demolished to make room for another new extension to the headquarters.
different methods
“Basically, there are two methods to relocate buildings: dismantle the building and rebuild it in the new position or move the entire building while preserving the structure,” Irene Rodríguez, a senior engineer at the British firm Mace Group, explains to BBC Mundo.
“The selection of the process is made according to many factors. The distance to be traveled is one of the most important,” he adds.
In addition, explains the expert, there are differences depending on the type of building it is.
“It is not the same to move a building with load-bearing walls to another that has a steel structure, since in the process it will be necessary to temporarily reinforce the structure to prevent collapse during relocation.”
The most common thing today is for firms to turn to engineering companies specialized in this type of project.
And so it was also done in 1930.
“The turning and moving of the old building presents some very interesting problems, particularly as the change must be made without service interruption,” the company’s advice acknowledged.
“The project is in no sense an experiment. The contractor doing the work has an enviable track record of successfully handling far more complex motion problems.
“The plan was adopted only after long and careful consideration of both the safety and economics of the move.
“It is interesting to note that it has definitely been shown that at no time during the work will the strength of the building be diminished, and that during the movement the foundations will be as strong as at any other time,” the managers explained.
With the move completed in December 1930 and the new building ready for occupancy in late 1932, Indiana Bell became a modern and recognizable headquarters on the city’s skyline.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-64305240, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-01-20 16:10:06
Cristina J. Orgaz @cjorgaz
BBC News World
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