鲍勃·文森特（Bob Vincent）有一个秘密。2015年，他与妻子莫琳（Maureen）坐在太空针头的前Skycity餐厅的一个摊位上，庆祝他们的共同生日，他刚刚了解到他的长期雇主霍夫曼建筑（Hoffman Construction）达成了一生的合同：对标志性的西雅图地标进行了翻新。他不能说一句话。
文森特说：“我在想这将是多么神奇的事后以及我们现在坐在有多少历史的历史。”“我希望她能体验到。”
The Hoffman project manager is familiar with other seemingly once in a lifetime projects—his past work includes the Seattle Central Library and the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Pop Culture. But the Space Needle renovation took logistics to a whole new plane, described by Vincent as building a ship in a bottle.
太空针头公司首席运营兼首席营销官卡伦·奥尔森（Karen Olson）表示，世纪项目的概念是“摆脱视野的方式”，然后将光盘改造为空中520英尺，成为珠宝天空中的盒子。该项目用更多的玻璃更换了障碍物，包括落地玻璃面板，带有露天玻璃墙和玻璃长凳的室外观测水平以及由悬臂钢和玻璃镜楼梯连接到LOUPE的高层观察甲板，the world’s first and only rotating glass floor.
在翻新期间，太空针头对公众开放。有限的工作空间在白天通过一台电梯访问，造成了巨大的后勤挑战。
To avoid the elevator choke point and large crane costs, Vincent enlisted BrandSafway to create a suspended, retractable 135-ft-dia platform connected to the landmark’s upper structure 500 ft above ground, comprised of a 16-ft-wide suspended ring in three sections, each connected with an 8-ft walkway. A weather barrier could withstand 115 mph winds.
文森特的下一个挑战是安装重量高达2,100磅的玻璃面板。吊起每个面板花了10分钟。由于西雅图的风，面板可能会变成危险的风车。文森特（Vincent）的团队开发了安装在玻璃面板上的定制吊杆上，并通过远程控制的机动风扇，以防止吊装期间面板旋转。在观察甲板上，由Breedt生产工具和设计制造的机器人抓住了每个面板，将其操纵。
Apex Steel Inc.总裁Kevin Koester在1990年代会见了Vincent，并说他的才华是“他有能力在盒子里思考，而不是将我们带到我们的想法上。”Apex设计了一种一种独一无二的龙门起重机，该起重机是通过电梯通过零件饲养的，并用手在结构的甲板上组装。“他愿意接受想法，以及他为客户提供他们想要的产品的合作，这是我尊重鲍勃的第一件事。”
John May, branch manager at BrandSafway, also met Vincent in the late 1990s. “I was a bit blown away by Bob’s absolute involvement—he’s level-headed and as serious as can be when it comes to project safety—a huge priority,” says May.
Vincent says he is most proud that the Space Needle will be the base of millions of memories, like the one he shares with his wife.
“At the end of the day, seeing everybody and seeing how they enjoy the experience and how the customer takes care of the landmark and how they love the space … that stands out,” he says.
