THERE ARE CURRENTLY FOUR POTAIN CRANES – ALL OWNED BY THE CHURCH – WORKING ON THE BASILICA, OF THE FOLLOWING MODELS: MD-560-B, MD-175-B, MD-125-B AND AN MD-238. THROUGHOUT THE BASILICA’S HISTORY CRANES HAVE BEEN REGULARLY INSTALLED AND DISMANTLED, SHORTENED AND MOVED AS VARIOUS PARTS OF THE BASILICA ARE STARTED AND FINISHED.
Stained glass windows project color throughout the interior.
Photo courtesy of Elise Linscott
unusual shapes that allowed Gaudí to build the church to incredible heights without using flying buttresses for support, as many Gothic churches do.
Something to Aspire To /
The Benefits of Modern Technology When completed, the church will have 18 spires – 12 for each of the apostles, four for the Evangelists, one for the Virgin Mary, and one for Christ. Te next big construction challenge? Building the remaining 10 spires. Tere are currently four POTAIN cranes – all owned by
the church – working on the basilica, of the following models: MD-560-B, MD-175-B, MD-125-B and an MD-238. Troughout the basilica’s history cranes have been regularly installed and dismantled, shortened and moved as various parts of the basilica are started and finished. Another modern advancement that has helped move
construction along has been the use of milling machines to carve the stone rather than carving by hand, which was done for decades and could have slowed construction by centuries. Computers have also been used to aide design since the 1980’s.
Modern Set-backs to a
Century-Old Design With modern technology comes modern problems, including a controversial tunnel built from 2010 to 2013. Te tunnel – which is used by high-speed trains – passes mere feet from the church’s foundation. Some worried this disturbance would cause the church to collapse, though no damage has been reported since the tunnel’s opening in 2013. Currently, the basilica is 65% completed. Entrance fees pay for most of the yearly construction costs of 25 million Euros, or nearly $27.5 million, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.
Critics / Gaudi’s Vision La Sagrada Familia is one of Spain’s top tourist attractions, but some have argued that the money put into the church could be better spent on more pressing matters, such as helping the poor, a top priority for Catholic leader Pope Francis. Many have also criticized the final design for the basilica,
saying it’s out of touch with Gaudí’s vision, and question whether he would even like the finished church. In 2008, a number of Catalan architects and historians signed a
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE JULY–AUGUST 2017 33 Photo courtesy of Elise Linscott
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
