Work has begun on the Century Project, the $100 million Space Needle renovation project. On Friday, September 15, a 28,000 pound ring-shaped platform was raised up the Needle. The platform will support workers over the course of the project.
A crew of 25 people worked through the night, including 12 operators on the platform as it made its way up the structure. It took four hours to raise the platform 400 feet, from the 100-foot SkyLine level to just below the Needle’s Tophouse.
The platform was built using Safway’s Quick Deck product allowing it it to be built off the ground. Materials were transported either through the Space Needle’s elevators or via crane to the top of the 100-foot level space known as SkyLine. SkyLine will be closed during renovations and serve as Hoffman’s onsite construction office.
This is just the first big step in the space needle renovation process. Over the course of the next month an enclosure will be built around the workspace, creating a safe, weatherproof site that is separated from visitors. Work will then begin on the northeast side of the Observation Deck, moving counterclockwise one-sixth of the saucer at a time preventing a complete shutdown.
Next month a gantry crane will be installed on the roof which will be used to hoist materials. Around 176 tons of glass will be added to the Observation Deck and Restaurant level. There are 10 different varieties of the glass panels, some being 11 feet tall, 7 feet wide, and weighing 2,300 pounds.
Initial renovations are expected to be completed in May 2018. The platform will then be lowered back down to 100 feet for disassembly. This however doesn’t include additional interior work on the new restaurant and lounge, elevator updates, and repainting the Needle.