First Church of Christ Scientist

01
Objectives

Interior scaffolding work in auditoriums, pools, gymnasiums and churches often provide some of the most intricate and interesting projects.  Seacoast Scaffold has recently been working at the First Church of Christ Scientist in downtown Concord, New Hampshire to erect interior staging for Cobb Hill Construction.  Exterior repairs to the church were previously completed to mend a leaky roof and now it was time to focus on the interior with plaster repairs and painting next on the task list.

Seacoast erected the staging on the western half of the church / auditorium so work could begin for Cobb Hill Construction on re-plastering, painting and repairing any interior water damage.

We have found over the years that when you gain access to a very high ceiling through the use of staging, you try to get as much done as possible.   With access now provided the church is using this as an opportunity to update the incandescent lighting systems with modern LED lights.

02
Approach

The main challenge for Seacoast in designing the scaffold layout was building a 4,000 square foot structure, measuring 75’ x 35’ with heights going from 35’ up to 50’, all while maneuvering around unmovable pews.

As with any project small challenges always come up and before any erection work could begin, the church’s organ had to be dismantled pipe by pipe, with each pipe being protectively wrapped and stored safely away. Speakers also had to be removed from the walls with the entire process of dismantling the organ pipes and speakers adding about a week to the timeline.

From there, the build was in full swing. As the scaffolding rose, two board brackets were placed at each deck level to allow Cobb Hill’s employees to work on all levels of the staging with full access to plaster and paint the damaged walls and ceiling.

03
Results

As with every project Seacoast Scaffold undertakes, safety is the foremost concern. All workers were wearing harnesses and were tied off as required. Guard rails were also installed at the very top of the staging, which reached into the rafters toward the peak of the roof. Challenges like working around pews and still being able to get the footprint our customer is looking for is part of what makes Seacoast Scaffold a prime choice for your next scaffolding project.