Monthly Archives: June 2007

JRC Construction Diary #18

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Our first shipment of cypress wood has arrived at the construction site – about half of the material that will serve as our exterior siding. The cypress is 100% reclaimed wood from barns in upstate New York (actually “mushroom houses,” to be completely specific.) After treating the wood with a clear sealer, they will start installing the siding hopefully by the end of the week.

The crew also expects to install the glass in the third floor clerestory on Monday, then proceed to the windows on the rest of the building. During the next few weeks, we should make significant progress on the building’s exterior and have a good sense of what it will eventually look like on the outside.

JRC Construction Diary #17

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The exterior of the building continues to take shape. I’ve juxtaposed the computerized rendering (top) with an actual exterior taken yesterday (next down) to give you a comparison of the virtual with the actual. Below, is a pic of the duct work and electric conduit, now installed in the first floor offices. The second pic from the bottom shows the rear stairs (termed the “Stairway to Heaven” by one contruction worker) that leads from the ground floor to the third floor sanctuary. The bottom pic offers a southward view on the third floor. The black pipe is the “rough-in” plumbing for the bathrooms. You can also see the main air duct and the yellow board enclosure that wraps around the elevator shaft.

We’re about five weeks behind schedule, but with good weather, we are still hoping for an early-Jan occupancy date. On the LEED front, we are currently safely in range for a Gold rating with the US Green Building Council and still have a fighting chance for Platinum (the highest rating!) The final determinant will ultimately come down to cost, but whatever happens, we are so very proud to be building synagogue so thoroughly infused with Green values…

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JRC Construction Diary #16

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The workers have begun the process of putting plywood on the exterior of the building, which will be the first layer of its “outer skin.” The second pic from the bottom shows the installation of the rear stairs, which began Friday and will continue into next week.

As for our neighbors foliage (see last diary entry): alas, the entire tree needed to be cut down. Thankfully, as the pic on the bottom indicates, our third floor view is still quite lush.

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