An integration of the fossil discovery story was
referenced in the use of the fossil shapes; seen acting
as steel members, which form part of the structure’s
pivoting legs.
leg to move left /right onto a base plate mounted to
scientifically identified rock base. The lower portion
of the leg forms an elliptical section and is ‘kinked’ at
a specific point, allowing further in /out alignment
with base plates. With 32 steel bolts holding the
structure up (and down), it gives a total crosssection of less than half an A4 sheet of paper. The
fabrication of these sections was carried out on site
to compensate for the uneven ground conditions. Site
welding demanded strict fire safety controls.
An alternative solution came in the form of the upper
portion of the eight legs being pre-fabricated and
connected to the main structure with a pivot joint.
This design feature allowed the lower portion of the
In closing, the client says: “The structure meets, and in
fact exceeds, all other aspects of the stringent briefing,
resulting in one of the most impressive structures
related to a heritage site ever built.” AD
Identification of the leg footing positions were only
carried out towards the final construction stages.
With every component fabricated in light easily
transportable sections, the lifting equipment posed
another challenge. No less than five mobile cranes
attempted the grueling corridor from the main road
to the site. Only one made it. A 30 ton ‘all-terrain’, later On final completion, site welding and grouting of the
being operated to its most extreme radius and lifting
base plates was done. The removal of the scaffolding
capacity.
support began and the loads were transferred onto
the eight legs. Laser measurements recorded the load
The structure quickly took shape. The form of the
transfers for the deflection and stability of the main
main structural element is a steel lattice or spacestructure. A maximum of 10mm was recorded as the
frame truss, with its compression ring accurately
structure squats over its charge. The impact of the
fabricated. On assembly, the scaffold tower easily
structure on the site approximates to 2 square metres.
accepts the roof structure and suspended viewing
platform.
An adherence to the strict code of conduct on this site
was imperative. Literally, no stone was to be turned.
Foundation footings were entirely undetermined
The University’s palaeontology department assigned
during the course of the design, as no foundations
a full time ‘chaperone’ to oversee and enforce the
were permitted and final rock positions – to then act
codes laid down for site work and environmental
as foundations – would only be identified by scientists preservation. The entire project was completed
during the construction.
without incident.
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