Shape of things to come

The image below has been marked up to give some idea of the shape of the worship hall (seen from the balcony). The vertical red lines represent the angled walls on either side of the pulpit (P) that will extend to the ceiling. The base of one wall is complete as it is necessary to enclose the first mechanical room for one of the AC units. The framed opening with header on the left is where two air return grills will be.

We're supposed to get an electrical inspection today. If that goes well the rest of the interior sheet rock and sound insulation will go in. Much of the ducting and some of the HVAC equipment is already in place.

Air handler in rear room.

Nathex - entrance boarded up. Building is now "lockable". The  entry glass and doors will wait for the ceiling completion and removal of large scissor lifts.

Color scheme nearly complete

The stucco/exterior color scheme is basically complete. The round windows and parapet caps remain to be done. Note that they are working on sealing the wall on the south side now, which had been left open for bringing in large equipment.  The front entry will be left uncompleted for some time as that will be the only exit that remains large enough for the scissor lifts that are still needed to complete the ceiling. The site is very busy today with at least 14 contractor trucks on site and nearly every specialty at work.

Clear view from Tuesday evening of the west and south sides with scaffolding removed.

This and that on a pretty day

They'll begin installing the gutters today as well. 

Wrapping the columns that support covered drop-off roof - note stone block bases.

Electricians work on connecting steeple light  power supply.

In and out

Ceiling prep as seen from balcony.

Leif - 39' above the slab.

More progress on stucco - upper section and rear are nearly finished, as is north side (see bottom photo).

Closer look at stucco color scheme.

North exterior nearly complete except for door.

Warm morning light

First sheetrock

It's not exciting or visually impressive, but anyone who has built a house knows that when the sheetrock starts going up a construction milestone has been reached. Preparation for the high tongue-and-groove ceilings has also started as our own Leif Whaley has begun attaching the furring strips. Pray for his safety as he works 39 feet above the ground. Also, the lower exterior windows are going in today. Give thanks for progress!

Leif stands in the toddler room. He's not doing the sheetrock but is glad to see it going up like the rest of us!

Sheetrock on interior side of north rooms - seen from balcony.

Furring strips high above the narthex. Ceiling boards will be attached to these.

Architects on site

Stacy and Paul of Studio 4 met with our site superintendent onsite today to iron out some details. Stacy said they were working with an organization in Oak Ridge recently who were full of praise for our building's appearance. He said everyone in the room had noticed it and all were interested to know that Studio 4 was involved.

The high safety wall on the balcony has been removed and has been replaced by the permanent framing for the low wall. The photo below with Stacy (for scale) shows how low the solid wall will be. The low-profile aluminum railing is in production and will arrive in few weeks.

Note the new lower balcony wall framing. The sight lines should be very good. Remember, the seating will be tiered but the risers won't be built until after we move in.

Dan, Stacy, and Paul confer.

Removal of more scaffolding gives a better look of the front. Motorists on S. Illinois Ave. now have  a  pretty clear view of the building at 3000 Clearview Court.

Schedule update next week

Are we on schedule? We should learn the answer to that question by next week as Construction Plus will be providing an update for us. The Oak Ridge Fire Department was on site today looking at the sprinkler installation and that seemed to go well. Continue to pray for good progress, good decisions, and no snags.

Better look

The removal of some scaffolding affords a better view of the finished stucco on the high portion of the building front. The parapet caps, which will be white, are not on yet. The stucco and window surrounds are also finished on the west clerestory, and more than half of the window glass has been installed in the east clerestory.

Balcony rail

A point of information: Should you visit the new building and find the balcony rail to be very high and crude, never fear. The one you see is temporary. The real rail will be quite low and trim.

Morning glory

A beautiful morning sheds flattering light on the front facade of the building. You can see that some of the final color is finished on the front stucco but mostly it is still obscured by the scaffolding. The view of the rear (with stucco almost complete) was made Friday night. Notice that the "real life" color of the stucco is actually more appealing than that in the drawing at the top of the page. Please pray for the building committee as the began meeting more frequently in the last quarter of the project. Many decisions, much planning, and lots of work remains. And give thanks for good progress so far.

Rear windows cut

The two rear window openings nearest the corners have finally been cut. They were late in coming because we were late in deciding on them. Because the rear of the building looms so large when you enter from the cul-de-sac we thought the windows would make it more attractive and "building-like" than it would have been with only the center pair. It also makes the corner rooms - one of which is the pastor's office - more pleasant. See captions for more info.

Note new window opening on right.

Pastor's office, northwest corner.

Same as above, different angle.

Balcony wall - window openings look down on narthex.

Note muntins in clerestory windows - glass next week.

More on latest progress

Window frames (sans glass) now fill the south clerestory openings. Also, see detail of the base block with nice moulding above the top course - a nice touch.

Rear gable stucco (in final colors) seen in a better light than earlier post

 

Gray polished base block with cast moulding

Highly-paid male model adds human scale to the window openings that will look down on the narthex from the rear of the balcony level. Note model's purple paisley tie.

Some final finishes

Exciting developments today -- some of the final stucco finishes have been applied to the rear gable and the south clerestory. Remember, the scheme is white for parapets, light gray for main wall surfaces, and a warm dark gray for window surrounds and the polished block around the base. Also the aluminium window frames for the clerestory have arrived and should be installed today. Further, the "ship's prow" balcony room walls are framed. See the video below as it's difficult to "see" in one picture. Note that large windows will look down on the narthex. This will be a very unique feature and is one of the many that should lift our building out of the cookie cutter or generic categories! See captions for further details.


Seen front front door area, standing in narthex, looking up - sorry for lack of narration.

Colors match roof nicely!

Balcony prow seen from left corner of front door.

Beginning on the base block.

Progress report

The concrete balcony floor was poured last week and stucco work continues with another layer (not the final color) over the back gable and clerestories. See further details in captions.

View from middle of balcony

View from right front balcony ledge - safety rail is temporary.

Large back room - pray for your building committee and officers as we consider how best to utilize space.

Back gable covered with another layer of sealant.

Rough framed balcony stairs.

Fire riser in mechanical room - supplies fire sprinkler system.

Round windows cut

The openings for the round windows have been cut and more interior framing has been done. The electricians are also busy running conduits and installing boxes.

Rear window seen through south side clerestory windows

Worship Hall, looking northwest

Narthex