Kajima constructed the spherical observation deck on the famous Fuji Sankei Building near Odaiba, in Ariake area of Tokyo. Because of the complex curves involved, our team was hired to model the structure in the computer, and output measured drawings for digital output of the complexly curved beams and facade panels. On the day of the lift-up, I spent the day down near the water (in a location currently built over by the monorail and shopping centers -- back then there was nothing around at all) and painstakingly videoed the entire process using time-lapse video. How did I get power to the video camera out in the middle of nowhere for the many hours it took to lift the huge sphere? I taped a tripod to the roof of my Mitsubishi Pajero, left it idling all day, and used the 12V power outlet.

Click here to view the video (31.7mb).