Noah's Ark in an amusement park

This replica of Noah's Ark has become the world's largest timber-framed construction made with modern woodworking technology.

Measuring 155 m long, 26 m wide and 28 m high, the construction of Noah's Ark was completed on July 7, 2016! The company Colorado Timberframe was the one who, quite uniquely, was able to design and build such a large timber frame using a small belt-driven gater and a CNC machine.

The Noah's Ark project is already recognized as the world's largest timber-framed wooden structure: 7,300 cubic meters of lumber were needed to build it. About the length of a football field and a half, this biblical Ark of biblical proportions is equal to 500 standard semi-trailers and includes three levels of exhibits as well as a restaurant with 1600 seats on the upper deck. At full capacity, the Ark can accommodate 10,000 visitors, although organizers plan to set a limit of 3,000 inside when the Ark is open to the public.

The $100 million project took about a year and a half. To meet construction deadlines, Colorado Timberframe hired helpers and switched to a three-shift, 6-day-a-week work schedule for a full year. 25 employees worked in the Denver shop, making all the building components, while 10 laborers were on site installing the timber frame in Kentucky, along with 75 Amish craftsmen hired to help with assembly.

To realize this unique construction, two modern woodworking technologies were vital. First of all, the LT15 belt gantry, which is the smallest gantry produced by the company. The gater cuts beams 60 cm x 60 cm and is 12 m long, necessary for the complex structure. The timber then went through the K2I Hundegger CNC machine. This carried out all the grooving and dowel jointing work, as well as drilling and slotting, any type of recesses or notches, required to accommodate either the timber couplings or the steel plates. Another mobile Wood-Mizer LT40 Wood-Mizer mobile gater operated on site only, to adjust the lumber to the proper dimensions, if needed.

One of the most impressive aspects of the timbers in the arch is the 15 m long logs that cover the center, many of which are 1 m in diameter at the base. 30% of these logs are salvaged Engelmann spruce, which had been destroyed by invasive beetles and remained dry.

The Ark Encounter amusement park opened to the public on July 7, 2016, in Williamstown, Kentucky, USA. It is estimated that over one million people will visit in its first year.

Material provided by www.woodmizer.ro