Mat's been bugging me for a long time to write a blog about the Idaho State Capitol project. This is a $120 mil. project which includes the renovation of the historic capitol building as well as the construction of two underground wings that will house additional office space and meeting rooms. The wings were modeled after the Texas State Capitol. Many of you who have known me for a while know that this project is really my first baby. I was hired at my firm in 2000 to begin the project, and it's scheduled for completion in December of this year. I have worked for over 11,000 hours on this project. To put this in perspective, a typical project from start to finish consists of about 800 hours.
This project has been amazing, really a once in a lifetime experience. I have had the opportunity to work on everything from standard new construction methods to restoration and preservation of historic materials such as wood, sandstone, marble, and plaster. Many of the columns in the capitol appear to be marble, but are actually a material called scagliola. This is a special type of plaster that was originally developed in Italy. Now just a select few craftsmen around the world can produce scaglioa. Our consultants are from England. Many of the materials on the project have been shipped from various foreign countries. However, the sandstone on the building exterior is from a local quarry.
The first three years of the project consisted of surveying the building (we had very few original drawings) and drawing our plans. Then due to funding issues the project went on hold for almost three years. It picked back up again in 2006, and went underconstruction in 2007. My days now consist of about 6 hours of meetings and observing construction and 2 hours of office time. It's fun watching the building transform into a habitable space. I frequently climb 12 stories of scaffolding into the dome to view the restoration. I recently took Mat on a tour of the construction for the first time, and I think he was amazed at how much work is involved in the project. At the completion of the project the occupants and visitors will be able to see many pieces of history that have been covered damaged and concealer over the years. The building is also getting a major mechanical and electrical upgrade which will make a significant difference in comfort and utility cost. Enjoy the photos.
