World

What is the life expectancy of the Empire State Building?

Well, you’ve asked the right person. My company just finished some work at the foundation. I have been up and down that place, I know it well.

The Empire State Building, and buildings like it, will last as long as there exists a civilization capable of maintaining it and willing to do so. Every component, every steel beam, brick, and Indiana Limestone block can be individually repaired or replaced as needed, and many already have been.

The elevators upgrade was very recently completed. The second time. In 1966 they went from manual to automatic operators. All the exterior lights were recently replaced with a new automated LED system. All the windows and the air conditioners were also replaced.

Of course there is a philosophical side to the question. If every part is replaced, is it still the same thing? I say, yes. “Continuity of Identity”.

A number of you have asked how a steel beam or column can be replaced in a building. I covered this in one of the comments. The important part is the installation of the temporary shoring and bracing. This is a shoring plan for a corner column presently being replaced at an NYC building.

Related Posts

Do carrier aircraft get washed after every flight to remove salt residue?

There were quite a few times when I was climbing into the jet, getting ready to launch off the pointy end, when the chief would tug on my…

If a U.S. Navy carrier battle group cannot defeat the Houthis in Yemen, how is it going to defeat China in the South China Sea?

A question barely answerable. Well, if a US Navy carrier battle group cannot defeat the Houthis in Yemen, how is it going to defeat, what, oh, Cuba in…

Is it true that nuclear submarines carry some gold, firearms, and antibiotics in a vault to enable crewmen to survive a nuclear apocalypse?

I served on two nuclear submarines during the Cold War. We did carry gold, firearm, and antibiotics. They weren’t in a vault, though. The gold was carried, or…

President Trump said that the British should give the Argentinians the Falklands because the USA is not going to protect the British from the Argentinians any longer. How long will it be before the British surrender to the Argentinians?

I see no evidence that Trump has said anything about the Falklands lately, let alone the laughable claim in the question. As it is, the US is not…

If North Korea fires an ICBM at the USA, how many minutes will it take to reach U.S. mainland? Within how many seconds will the U.S. detect it?

Any ballistic missile fired from the DPRK would be detected almost immediately by either US radar systems in South Korea, naval vessels in the Sea of Japan or…

Is it really true that there are 2 F-16s waiting with their engines running in case something violates the Washington, D.C., no fly zone?

There are F-16, F-15 and F-35 fighter jets sitting alert 24/7 guarding all the borders of the US. And yes alert jets are near Washington D.C. They don’t…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *