Preparing for OWSJ Installation

The next major step in the construction of our Church will be to install the second floor and roof supports.  Our architect, builder and structural engineering teams worked together to create a design incorporating a technique referred to as Open Web Steel Joist (OWSJ) construction technique.

Our design uses the strong Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) structure of the building with a few vertical beams attached to the concrete foundation plus steel trusses that will span the roof and also form the second floor foundation.  This approach saves considerable time and effort in the construction of our new Church.  And once these components are all locked together the design will be very strong.

In preparation for this next step Diablo Valley Masonry completd the walls including the “cut outs” that will provide the opening in the walls for the steel truss frames. By taking this approach our design team significantly reduced the cost of the building while maintaining high strength.

Below are a few pictures of the building highlighting the locations for a few of the steel trusses that will be installed this week.

Truss supports at rear framed by rotunda

Steel Joist Support Point

OWSJ West Wall

CMU Cut out for steel truss

Here are two more pictures taken April 4th just prior to the beginning steel truss instalation:

Sanctuary East Wall ready for steel

Sanctuary Rear Wall ready for Steel