Our Spire Is Up!
Posted on Jun 15, 2012
By Julie Ruiz-Wibbelsmann
We’ve installed our 43,000-pound spire on our new Eden Hospital! Watch a video of the installation:
Using two cranes to lift our 125-foot spire, we attached it to the south face of our new hospital, just west of the main entrance, on Thursday, June 14. The cranes each weighed 265 tons and had telescoping booms to lift and maneuver our spire into place.
Constructed in Buffalo, New York, the spire was driven across the country and delivered to Eden in three pieces, which we assembled during May. The truss frame is covered with 2,000 square-feet of fabric weighing 1,500 pounds and constructed from fiberglass and plastic composite.
We attached our spire to the cranes using very strong cables.
We draped a yellow protective sheet over the glass exterior of our building.
Our spire is supported by five existing beams on our building, beginning around the height of the second-floor level and extending to the top level. Each of the five beams has 12 high-strength bolts, 7.38 inches long and 1.38 inches in diameter, that hold our spire securely in place.
Come see it for yourself! And read an earlier blog posting about our spire: “Installing Our Spire: A Main Architectural Feature of the New Eden Hospital.”
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Nice simple sculpture. What is its” theme or name? Hope it represents the goal of the hospital which I assume to be helping people have healthy lives.
Thanks for your comment. The intent of the Eden Medical Center spire is to evoke emotion, inspiring optimism, hope and a sense of well-being. As a graceful and welcoming beacon to the community served by Eden Medical Center, the spire also draws attention upward to the beautiful, fresh expanse of the sky and encourages a sense of openness and a cheerful outlook on life.
When is the new hospital going to open?
Thanks for your message. Our new Eden Hospital will open December 1, 2012.