Construction works

Construction work

The construction worker stands on a skeletal floor of freshly poured concrete, high above the city streets. The wind, a constant companion at this altitude, tugs at the high-visibility vest strapped over his thick jacket. He is setting forms for a pillar, his movements deliberate and strong as he manhandles heavy sheets of plywood and braces them with steel beams. Each swing of his sledgehammer to secure the frame is a sharp, percussive crack that cuts through the constant, low growl of generators and machinery, echoing briefly against the raw concrete and steel around him.

Sweat glistens on his temple despite the chill, and a fine grey dust from the concrete coats his stubble and the safety glasses he wears. His world is a grid of rebar and a symphony of noise—the beeping of a reversing forklift, the whine of a skill saw, the shouted conversations of his crew. With a grunt of effort, he hefts a heavy spirit level, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he checks the alignment, ensuring the form is perfectly plumb. In his focused precision, the chaotic site finds its order, and the next piece of the city’s skyline is locked into place.