Singo's tower

Singo’s tower site is going ahead great guns. First it was cleared fast, with the original building being knocked down overnight, and now the foundations are being poured at a good pace.

In the foreground, at the bottom edge of the photo, we can see the empty truck being filled with sand from the pile in the left hand corner of the site. The sand is probably from the holes bored for the foundations. All the other excess sand and dirt was taken away last week.

The borer is the tall orange machine on the right of the site. We can also see a row of three concrete trucks lined up ready to disgorge their loads into the borer and framed foundation holes.

The smaller orange machine, with the worker standing to the right of its arm is scraping up the sand. It appears to be preparing the ground for the borer to bore the next foundation hole. The frames for the holes, which become the foundations once the concrete is in them, are laying neatly in a row at the back right hand side of the site.

A bit closer to the scraping away of ground and we can see the orange caps topping the bars of the frame in the closest poured foundation. I wonder how long it takes such deep poured concrete to set? Or is to cure? Whichever it is, it must take quite a while.

I think that scraping away must be for the next foundation to be bored because the borer is aimed right at it and it’s very close to it too.

A clearer view of the orange-capped frame of that same foundation pour. It looks pretty fresh so it was probably poured not too long before I arrived to take this photo.

The row of concrete trucks and, below them and closer to us, a row of 3 grates or covers and, at the right hand end of that row, the orange-capped frame of another poured foundation.

Next week should see the rest of the foundations poured, on the left hand side of the site, and then the week after that we’ll probably see if they have to wait for the concrete to cure before they start the next stage. And, of course, they’ll be watched by the same coming and going assortment of workers from the shopping centre and shoppers too. It’s always fascinating to watch a building being constructed from the ground up. It’s like a giant meccano session.

To see the other 2 articles I’ve published today, scroll down past the bottom of this article, or click on “July” in the sidebar to the right. (I was going to post 4 but I've run out of time. I'll post the 4th next week.)

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