Crane Foundation

No, not talking about the International Crane Foundation, but the construction crane foundation.

A few weeks ago the large crane was taken down from the Human Ecology construction site. For over a year the crane was a fixture against the skyline, a symbol of Human Ecology strength as a member of the flock of cranes on campus. In June we met Sergio, our crane operator who shared the, shall we say...nuances... of spending 8 hours in the air. Once you meet the person who swings the big arm, it becomes personal. You could look at the webcam and see what Sergio was working on that day. It made me proud to think our crane was up there with similar beasts working on the Wisconsin Energy Institute, Union South or Biochem II. They are magnificent.

One of my colleagues asked what happens to the concrete pad the crane had been resting upon - excellent trivia question. Eric Plumer of JP Cullen tells me the crane pad for our project was an integrated part of the footings for the structure. This strategy has 2 benefits - saves on concrete by having the pad do "double duty" and keeps it out of the landfill.

Perhaps just a small plaque on the walkway, "Sergio flew here"