A construction site in Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, Canada has raised eyebrows and turned heads because of its unusual setup: there is a roof on the ground but no walls, even foundation, have been formed just yet.
Traditionally, a building is made from the ground up. But for the people behind Engineer P.E.I., a provincial organization composed of engineers, starting with the roof can be a wise choice in terms of safety. The 4-storey building on Malpeque Road is only one of the many buildings that have been built roof-first in Prince Edward Island.
Bill McInnis, the owner of the building, shared that the sight of a roof on the ground is making a lot of people curious.
“We’ve had a lot of people stop, wondering how the heck we got a roof before we have the walls,” he said to CBC News.
Bill McInnis. Photo via CBC News
He went to explain that one of the main reasons for building it on the ground is for safety in the winter conditions.
“Although we’ve had a great winter, you can get into some high wind conditions and really it comes down to safety,” he said. “A lot of these guys do not have to have the fall protection. They’re on the ground.”
Photo via CBC News
After the workers build the roof on the ground first, they will cut it into sections and use a crane to hoist it into place once the walls are made.
McInnis believes that this construction method will become a lot more common, and predicts that more buildings will be done roof-first in the years to come.
Source: CBC News
