Existing comment:
Calder Structural Safety Analysis
AOC Construction Project
The Architect of the Capitol is preparing to perform a structural safety analysis on the cloud components of the Mountains and Clouds sculpture.
Mountains and Clouds, installed in the Hart Senate Office Building Atrium in 1985, was the last work of Alexander Calder (1898-1976), one of America's greatest twentieth-century sculptors. This sculpture, his only work with a separate mobile and stabile, consists of four organically shaped clouds hanging from a single shaft suspended from the roof. The largest cloud is 42.5' long and weighs approximately 2,000 pounds; the total weight of all four clouds is 4,300 pounds.
During the project, the four clouds will be lowered to the ground and fully assessed to ensure their structural integrity, including seismic design. The project will use the existing hanging work platform for the Hart Senate Office Building roof and skylight repair project. Additional scaffolding will be erected on the Hart atrium floor to support the safety inspection and structural analysis.
Work is expected to be completed in late 2015 and will ensure the sculpture can safely serve future generations of visitors and Senate staff. |