The steel is being fabricated at W&W AFCO Steel Manufacturing Plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The steel columns and beams are astounding by themselves because of their colossal size. The base plates alone are approximately 2.5 inches thick. It is remarkable to watch the construction team work in perfect harmony as they harness the immense steel columns and beams in preparation for the cranes to lift them into the air and skillfully maneuver them precisely into position, where they are then carefully lowered onto the bolts emerging from the concrete and welded securely into final position. In total there will be 200 columns, 10 trusses and 1,500 beams throughout the North & South Galleries, the East Wing/Children’s Discovery Center and the Hall of the People. During the next several months as cars pass the site at the intersection of I-35 and I-40 they will witness changes daily. Construction begins where the South gallery and Central Promontory Mound connect and then moves north to the North gallery, which can be seen just south of the Oklahoma River. The East wing will follow with the Hall of the People being the last steel to go up after the first of the year. Once the steel columns and beams are erected and joined together then the roof and exterior walls follow. The roof is comprised of wooden glue laminated beams the serve as the frame for the tongue & groove Douglas Fir roof decking.

Team: State of Oklahoma/DCS, Owner; ADG/Greeby, Agency Representative; Johnson Fain, Team Leader, Master Planning, Architectural Design; Hornbeek/Blatt Architects, Project Administration and Liaison; Centennial Builders, Construction Manager at Risk; Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Exhibit Design, Thematic Approach and Interpretive Concepts; LORD Cultural Resources Planning & Management Inc., Museum and Institutional Planning; Cardinal Engineering Inc., Civil Engineers; Hargreaves Associates, Landscape Architects.