From the Scene: February 28, 2008

It was another crystalline blue sky. Though there has been rain (some parts of the grounds were quagmires), I have been very fortunate to have good weather for my shoots. Though the pace of construction hasn’t waned, the visible progress is necessarily slower. No longer the abrupt and dynamic transformations of demolition and ground breaking; we now have the more subtle changes of finish.

Inside on the bottom floor, the second side of sheetrock has been installed; each “cover up” having been inspected meticulously. Expectations are for the drywall finishers to begin next week as the downstairs edges closer and closer to completion.

The final of 22 fan coil units has been installed, marking near completion of the downstairs HVAC. The upstairs units, which are water cooled and heated and which interface with the geo-thermal system, are next on the installers list.

The curtain wall supports (window frames, if you like) for the new front have arrived and installation will begin tomorrow. On the roof of the Learning Center, the water-tight membrane is being installed with the care usually given to ships’ hulls…a fair simile. Inside, the snowy blown-in insulation has been covered with aluminum sheeting, giving one the feeling of being inside a tin can. Outside, the metal skin continues to be applied to the exterior: a slow, careful process given the ease with which the surface could be marred.

The work on the retention system continues as the track hoe moves dirt from place to place with elephantine patience. A much smaller Bobcat works in tandem with the yellow giant; a Mutt and Jeff ballet of earth-moving.

The new stairs, both sets, will be installed next week; no more scaffolding and 2x4 for access to the second floor. Soon, what little adventure I have experienced will be gone and a modern, user-safe building will have taken the excitement from my commission.

I shall miss my hardhat.