An Uplifting Rehab... by Kate O'Brien Last Fall, the Christ Church Cathedral located in downtown Montreal, Quebec, was a special source of inspiration to everyone who saw it-but especially to building engineers. The 128-year-old landmark was tagged the "floating cathedral" by some while it was undergoing an unusual and complete foundation renovation. Poor soil conditions had plagued the church's foundation since it was constructed in 1859. Last October, engineers sank foundation columns into bedrock, and created a concrete girdle around the church. Forms were tunneled under the church and horizontal beams cast. Together this created a concrete pad for the church to rest on. The pad was post-tensioned with steel cables. Once this new support system was in place the
