Building a Building

On a breezy July afternoon, Meenu and Elango walk home from school.

The shortcut takes them past a piece of land that has stood vacant for years. But today, it is buzzing with activity.

“Let’s take the shortcut, Meenu akka!”

Gurra-gurra-gurra!

A huge vehicle moves back and forth, slowly scooping out clumps of bushes, grass and rocks.

“Look, Mani mama is driving the bulldozer!” says Meenu. The children wave at Mani mama, the site supervisor. He waves back. “Tea break!” Mani mama's voice booms across the site.

“What’s going on here, Mani mama?” asks Elango. “We are building a new school for you,” says Mani mama, wiping his sweaty face.

“It will take nearly a year,” says Mani mama. “We are clearing and levelling the site now. Off you go, there’s too much dust in the air!”

“Yay!” Elango jumps with excitement. “Our old asbestos roof leaks when it rains. And during the summer, our classrooms get so hot!” “When will the school be ready?” asks Meenu.

Every afternoon, Meenu and Elango pass the site and watch the men and women at work. One day, they notice a woman looking at some charts. “This is Radhika akka, our civil engineer,” says Mani mama. “Would you like to see our floor plan?” asks Radhika akka.

“What’s a floor plan?” asks Elango. “It’s a drawing that shows the design of the building. You can see where each room is, and where the windows and doors will be,” explains Radhika akka.

“That big rectangle, is that the library?” asks Meenu. “Yes, a library with books and computers!”

A week later, Elango and Meenu see a big vehicle digging deep, square-shaped holes. “Look at that giant robot scooping out mud,” yells Meenu. “That’s an excavator,” says Mani mama. “Today, we will start working on the foundation. It’s the base that supports the weight of the building.”

By the first week of August, more holes have been dug. Cartloads of long steel rods have arrived. Meenu and Elango watch benders bind the rods to make steel frames and a lot of noise. Clang, clang, clang!

Gada, gada, gada goes the cement mixer. “It is mixing cement, sand, gravel and water to form concrete,” says Mani mama.

The children watch as steel frames are lowered into each hole. “Look, they are pouring concrete around the base of the steel frame. The concrete becomes hard once it dries and this forms the foundation below the ground,” says Radhika akka.

On a sunny morning, Meenu and Elango watch the workers set up wooden planks along the sides of the steel frames. “The planks form a casing around the steel frames. Concrete is poured into these wooden casings. Once the concrete hardens, the wooden planks are removed and the pillars are ready,” says Radhika akka.

“Oh, it’s like the moulds used to make ice lollies!” Elango exclaims. “You pour the juice into a mould, leave it in ice until it hardens and then remove the mould.”

“Exactly!” says Mani mama. “Now let’s get some ice lollies!”

By October, the first slab is ready and the pillars have been raised to roof level.

The brickwork starts in November. Meenu and Elango watch the masons place brick upon brick. The masons slap the cement over the bricks. Splat, splat, splat! Then, they smoothen the surface with trowels.

As the walls of the building come up, the rain comes down. “I hope it stops pouring soon! We need to finish the brickwork in a month,” says Mani mama.

On their next visit to the site, Elango asks Mani mama, “Is that the roof coming up?”

“Yes, but be careful!” says Mani mama. “The workers are connecting the pillars using beams. They will set up metal plates underneath, fix steel rods over them and pour concrete over that. Once it sets, the plates will be removed and the roof will be ready.”

“How does the roof stay up until the concrete hardens?” asks Meenu. “See those wooden poles? They hold up the metal plates from below until the concrete sets,” says Radhika akka.

By the end of March, the roof is complete. While Meenu and Elango write their final exams, the carpenters fit the windows and doors. The electricians wire the building. The plumbers install pipes for drinking water and drainage. The workers paint the building and install lights, fans, switches, bolts and locks.

When school reopens in June, the smell of fresh paint still hangs in the air. “Brand new fans, brand new benches and a brand new blackboard!” cries Elango. “Same old Bhaskar Master!” chuckles his science teacher.