The Grotto & Portland

 

 

WA State Capitol

The Legislative Building

Chandelier

The 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) chandelier above the rotunda is suspended 50 feet (15 m) above the floor by a 101 feet (31 m) chain and measures 25 feet (8 m) tall. It could fit a full-size Volkswagen Beetle if put in sideways and features life-size faces, human figures, and 202 lights.





 

 The Statue of Washington

 

Mother Joseph

Temple of Justice

 

 

 State Reception Room

 



Capitol Facts & History

History of the Legislative Building

Washington State's Legislative Building, completed in 1928 after six years of construction, serves as both a working governmental center and a symbol of Washington's free and democratic government. It is the centerpiece of the five historic buildings designed by New York architects Walter Wilder and Harry White. Conceived in the architectural competition of 1911 and selected by the State Capitol Commission, Wilder and White's designs for the Legislative Building were completed and set into motion in 1922.  More information about the history of the building can be found online at www.HistoryLink.org. 

Since it opened, the Legislative Building has withstood three major earthquakes, the most recent being the February 28, 2001 "Nisqually" earthquake, thanks in large part to the excellent structural design by Wilder and White, and the superior craftsmanship of the original builders. The building underwent significant seismic upgrades following the earthquakes of 1949 and 1965.

A three-year rehabilitation and earthquake-repair project was completed in 2004. The $120 million project added modern heating and cooling, plumbing, fire protection and state-of-the-art wireless technology systems, while maintaining historic features. It also improved accessibility, added new public space, made further seismic and security upgrades, and repaired damage caused by the 2001 earthquake.

As part of the environmentally-friendly building practices used throughout the project, more than 80 percent of the construction waste - 8,000 tons of wood, concrete, paper, bricks, dirt, metal and drywall - was recycled. The project also placed 144 solar panels atop the fifth-floor roof of the building - the largest array of solar panels on a capitol in the United States.

The Legislative Building is comprised of more than 173 million pounds of stone, brick, concrete and steel. It is the fifth-tallest masonry dome in the world and the tallest in North America, rising 287 feet high. Below are some additional facts about the building.

Facts about Legislative Building

WEIGHT
Lantern (top cupola on building)			500,000 lbs
Dome (curved portion)			11,200,000 lbs
Colonnade/Drum (just below dome)			21,500,000 lbs
“The Dome”  (sub-total of above figures)			33,200,000 lbs
Pedestal (central rotunda portion of the Leg building)			49,700,000 lbs
East Wing (all four levels)			31,100,000 lbs
West Wing (all four levels)			31,100,000 lbs
North Portico			10,100,000 lbs
South Portico			13,300,000 lbs
Foundations			20,000,000 lbs
TOTAL			188,500,000 lbs
			or 94,250 tons
* For some comparisons:
Empire State Building (4 times the Leg)			730,000,000 lbs
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier			194,000,000 lbs
Washington Monument (in D.C.)			181,708,000 lbs
Seattle Space Needle (1/10 of the Leg)			19,100,000 lbs
WEIGHT OF MATERIALS
Approximate tons of stone and granite 12,000 or 8850 Volkswagen Beetles Approximate tons of brick 9,500 or 5538 Orca Whales Approximate tons of concrete 28,800 or 3740 African Elephants
HEIGHT
From grade to top of lantern			287 feet
From base of dome to top of lantern			102 feet
From interior stair platform to ceiling of dome			165 feet
It is the fifth tallest masonry dome in the world, and the tallest in North America
It is only surpassed by:
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Rome, Italy			446 feet
St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, UK			355.5 feet
Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai, India			315.5 feet
Santa Maria Del Fiore, Florence, Italy			295 feet
* For some comparisons:
Eiffel Tower, Paris (3 1/2 times the Leg)			986 feet
US Capitol, Washington D.C.			302 feet
Adult male giraffe (1/14 of the Leg)			20 feet
* For some comparisons:			57,600 sq. ft.
Football Field (1/4 of the Leg)			4,734,400 sq. ft.
Vatican City (20 times the Leg)
Cubical contents of building			4,600,000 cubic ft.
* For some comparisons:
It would take 136 Olympic-sized swimming pools to fill the Legislative Building completely with water. It would take 28 average-sized water towers to fill the Legislative Building completely with water.
ORIGINAL BUILDING COSTS
Approximate Costs of Principal Finish Materials:
	Marble		$840,000
	Plastering		$187,000
	Ornamental Iron		$45,000
	Ornamental Bronze		$320,000
	Stone Carving		$180,000
	Interior Wood Trim		$84,000
	Rubber Tile		$65,000
	Painting		$122,000
	Elevators		$96,000
	Plumbing, Heating, and Ventilating		$383,000
	Total Cost of Building in 1928		$6,791,595.88
	Cost of Furnishings in 1928		$594,172.33
	TOTAL		$7,385,768.21
* For some comparisons:To reconstruct the Legislative Building with the same materials and workmanship today, it would cost over $1 billion. That is 135 times more!
TYPE AND ORIGIN OF STONE
Exterior Sandstone: Wilkeson Quarries, Pierce County, Washington
Interior Marble:		Type	Origin
	Senate Chamber	Formosa	Germany
	House Chamber	Escalette	France
	State Reception Room	Bresche	Violet Italy
	Main Corridors	Gray	Alaska
LIGHTING
Outside Lighting:
150-watt incandescent bulbs on top of the outside lower columns			85
250-watt metal halide bulbs at the bottom of the 8th floor columns			26
1000-watt metal halide and sodium bulbs on the 5th floor roof used to light the dome			16
50-watt sodium bulbs used to light the terrace			48
Inside Lighting:
15-watt to 300-watt incandescent bulbs throughout the building			2550
Florescent light fixtures throughout the building			2616
TOTAL			5341

Macarons

 

 

Ingredients

42g almond meal
42g icing sugar
42g caster sugar
1 egg white
Flavouring of choice

1. Sift almond meal and icing sugar into a large bowl.

2. Add half the caster sugar to the egg whites and beat with electric beater till thick and white (~3-5 min).

3. Gradually add the rest of the sugar while beating. The mixture should be glossy and thick but not stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk it should leave a ribbon trail.
*EGG WHITE TEXTURE is IMPORTANT*
•           If egg whites are too thick - macarons are grainy and not smooth
•           If egg whites are too thin - macarons are flat and do not rise

4. Fold in the almond meal/icing sugar mixture into the egg whites using a spatula.
 
5. Add any flavourings you like.. e.g. cocoa powder... green tea powder.

6. Pipe or spoon 4cm circles of mixture onto lined baking trays. Leave to rest for 30min-1 hour (you should be able to touch the macaron shells and they shouldn't be sticky).

7. Pre-heat oven to 330°F for 5 min then turn down to 285-300°F. Bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf for 12-14min.

8. watch the macarons RISE!!!! take out of oven and allow to cool before trying to lift them off the tray.

9. make filling: dark chocolate ganache - place 100g of dark chocolate and 80g of thickened cream into a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Melt and allow to cool in fridge before use. (white chocolate ganache: 100g white chocolate + 50g cream).

10. Sandwich 2 macaron shells with filling and serve. (Macarons actually taste better the next day so you may have to be patient and wait to taste these lovely macarons)

Source: http://traybakingtray.blogspot.com.au/

Cream Cheese Chiffon

75 gram sữa tươi không đường
50 gram creamcheese
32 gram bơ nhạt
82 gram cake flour
5 quả trứng gà
90 gram đường cát
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Tách riêng lòng trắng và lòng đỏ.
Cho sưã tươi, creamcheese và bơ vào một cái nồi nhỏ rồi để lên một nồi khác và chưng cách thủy cho đến khi creamcheese và bơ tan hết. Bắc xuống cho phần bột mì mịn vào quậy đều. Cho tiếp lòng đỏ trứng vào quậy tiếp cho đến khi được hỗn hợp đồng nhất và dẻo mịn. Để sang một bên.
Lòng trắng trứng đánh bông cùng cream of tartar và đường cho đến khi bông cứng, nhấc que đánh lên thấy hỗn hợp tạo hình chóp nhọn là đạt.
Lấy 1/3 hh lòng trắng trộn chung với hỗn hợp creamcheese, bơ sữa và trứng ở trên, trộn nhẹ nhàng. Sau đó đổ hỗn hợp vừa trộn xong vào lại hỗn hợp lòng trắng, trộn đều tay và dứt khoát từ dưới lên trên để hỗn hợp trở nên đồng nhất. Đổ hh vào khuôn chiffon, lưu ý không chống dính cho khuôn. Nướng ở nhiệt độ 340°F khoảng 45-50p, thăm bánh thấy không dính là bánh chín. Lấy ra khỏi lò, nhanh chóng úp ngược khuôn xuống chờ nguội.