After recently “topping off” the construction site for the $548 million, 460,000 square foot New Hospital Building… the giant crane used during construction was disassembled and trucked away this weekend. The building is set to open in 2010 and has been under construction for about 3 years already.

Lan and I were asked to come to the construction site to take photos and shoot some video while the crane was disassembled.?? After recent crane tragedies and scandals, it was great to see that this one was safely disassembled and transported away without a hitch.?? We shot the video in time lapse… my favorite part is when the clouds roll through towards the end… I think we might see more time lapse videos from The Bui Brothers… coming soon in HD.

It really was quite a sight to behold… especially from the awesome vantage point atop an adjacent CHLA building… from the helipad.

We actually learned a few things about the crane and its operation… some things we were curious about (nope, there’s no restroom, just a bucket!)… and some things we hadn’t even thought to ask (the crane is built where an elevator shaft will be… so it is able to work from the middle of the building then be removed without affecting what can be built since the elevator won’t even be put in for 6 months or more).

See Lan’s blog for some shots from the day… when he posts them.