Scaffolding
V McGarvey cc-by 2021
Scaffolding, also called scaffold or staging, is a temporary structure used to support a work crew and materials to aid in the construction, maintenance, and repair of buildings, bridges, and all other man-made structures. Scaffolds are widely used on-site to get access to heights and areas that would be otherwise hard to get to. The process was revolutionized by Daniel Palmer Jones and David Henry Jones. Modern-day scaffolding standards, practices, and processes can be attributed to these men and their companies: Rapid Scaffold Tie Company Ltd, Tubular Scaffolding Company, and Scaffolding Great Britain Ltd (SGB) - Wikipedia
The following has taken me about 10 months to publish so the first part was written earlier this year.
Part 1
This is a picture of my house the scaffolding is for double glazing. This will entail saying goodbye to the stained glass windows in our bay. The double glazing was ordered in August last year and it was just too complicated to have double glazing and keep the stained glass so it is going. I am still thinking about how I can reclaim it in some way, it's not a listed building, and there is only so much filler you can put in a crumbling bay window, and cellophane draft exclusion, to keep out some of these beasts from the East. There is a bit of a production chain that goes into putting in double glazing, scaffolding, new lintel over the upstairs window so the window doesn't fall out, and then there is the double glazing itself. We are also having a new front door as well. So we are expecting the house to have a bit of frontal swagger after this.
Stained Glass 1
V McGarvey cc-by 2021
Stained Glass 2
V McGarvey cc-by 2021
We are all accustomed to seeing scaffolding, and I don't think I have seen so many scaffold framed houses on my daily neighbourhood, walk. The investment in homes, not hols probably impacted the length of time it took to get our glaze renovation. However, now we have this temporary piped structure it has given me the opportunity to scrutinize up close scaffolding. The reason why I have shown so much interest in the scaffolding is that in the summer our drains were replaced in the street outside our house, and I really regret not taking any pictures of the brick structure before it was replaced by cement pipes. So I made a bit of a promise to myself instead of thinking about photographing something, I would just go ahead and do it, see this as a promise kept.
Our scaffold is a tube and clamp scaffold. According to Wikipedia, the basic lightweight tube scaffolding that became the standard and revolutionised scaffolding, becoming the baseline for decades, was invented and marketed in the mid-1950s. With one basic 24 pound unit, a scaffold of various sizes and heights could be assembled easily by a couple of labourers without the nuts or bolts previously needed. A working platform requires certain other elements to be safe. They must be close-boarded, have double guard rails and toe and stop boards. Safe and secure access must also be provided - you can see the platform in the top picture and the picture below. It took the scaffolders a morning the erect our scaffold structure
Scaffolding 3
V McGarvey cc-by 2021
With scaffolders, the one thing I have noticed is that I have never seen a female scaffolder, although NASC National Access & Scaffolding Confederation says "it promotes the role of women and people from minority backgrounds within in the industry. They acknowledge these groups are sorely under-represented across the whole construction sector and acutely so within scaffolding." I did some research for myself to see if I could discover anything about women scaffolders. I found in Scaffmag that Vicky Welch became the first UK female offshore scaffolder in 2019 and also in 2019 a report in the Daily Mirror said that Fay Parker a female scaffolder renovating Big Ben is one of just six women in the trade. In Scaffmag Fay says that her dad had been a scaffolder and the company she was working for was actively encouraging women to join the trade.
Part 2 (updated blog) -pg (post glazing)
The following is courtesy of Wikipedia
A bit of history
Sockets in the walls around the paleolithic cave paintings at Lascaux, suggest that a scaffold system was used for painting the ceiling, over 17,000 years ago.
The Berlin Foundry Cup depicts scaffolding in ancient Greece (early 5th century BC). Egyptians, Nubians and Chinese are also recorded as having used scaffolding-like structures to build tall buildings. Early scaffolding was made of wood and secured with rope knots.
Outside of the West
Bamboo scaffolding is a type of scaffolding made from bamboo and widely used in construction work for centuries. Many famous landmarks, notably The Great Wall of China, were built using bamboo scaffolding, and its use continues today in some parts of the world.
Bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong disassembled
Bamboo scaffolding was first introduced into the building industry in Hong Kong immediately after colonization in the 1800s. It was widely used in the building of houses and multi-story buildings (up to four stories high) prior to the development of metal scaffolding. It was also useful for short-term construction projects, such as a framework for temporary sheds for Cantonese Opera performances. There are three types of scaffolding in Hong Kong:
- Double-row scaffold;
- Extended Bamboo scaffolding;
- Shop signs of Bamboo Scaffolding.
Refs
- https://www.womanthology.co.uk/im-scaffolder-not-unicorn-carlene-brooks-scaffolder-mattison-scaffolding
- https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/female-scaffolder-renovating-big-ben-14438331