Washington National Cathedral

Scaffold Resource worked directly for the Cathedral on the “Way Of Peace” portion of the south elevation. We provided access scaffolding for stone repair and restoration work related to the damage caused during the 2011 earthquake.

A little history—10 years ago, a rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the eastern US and caused $34 million in damage to the Washington National Cathedral. In the past decade, over $15 million in repairs has already been done, working from the inside-out. Repairs will continue to happen, based on donations received.

The Scaffold Resource team was contracted to design, install, maintain, and eventually dismantle exterior scaffold systems to repair the damages to the stone caused by an earthquake to the National Cathedral. The project started out with a systems scaffold install on the Southwest Buttress and Turret Pinnacle. This access included adding four scaffold deck levels to an existing pinnacle access scaffold set, and dismantling the existing overhead protection on the South elevation. The four deck level additions were provided in 6 foot, 6 inch vertical increments and a stair tower was utilized to connect these levels. Additionally, a secondary access point was granted by use of an internal scaffold ladder deck.

In the South Nave Easternmost Buttress area, the scaffold was erected with deck levels installed at the start of the lower roof in 6 foot, 6 inch vertical increments. Scaffold Resource followed all OSHA standards by way of ensuring all scaffold decks levels were fully planked, guard railed, toe boarded, and carried a 25 PSF rating. Since portions of this scaffold area beared onto the low roof structures, re-shoring was required to ensure the scaffold could safelv withstand the load imposed on the structure. All the same installments and measures were take throughout the South Transept. West Center Buttress are as well. In addition to the access scaffold erection and dismantle work, Scaffold Resource loaded out 20 existing scaffold frames from the mid-level roof for additional access.