There has been a fair amount of progress on our building over the last two weeks. All of the windows have been now been installed: the pic above shows the window framing for the east wall of the third floor sanctuary and the shot below shows the east window of the first floor chapel. The second pic down offers a good view of the windows in the second floor classrooms.
They have also begun polishing the concrete floors (you can see the workers doing just that in the sanctuary shot above.) We are told that this process will continue well into next week.
As I reported in my last diary entry, we have received the shipment of reclaimed cypress siding for the exterior walls. The contractors are still debating the best way to treat the wood before installing it, which will hopefully begin next week. The second pic from the bottom shows a test model of the cypress planks as they will look on the walls.
We have also just received the shipment of the Jerusalem stone (bottom pic) that will clad the entry arch and main interior wall. This installation should begin as soon as the concrete floor polishing is completed.
I think I’m finally beginning to love it. I had thought that we had sacrificed beauty for efficiency and environmental sustainability–a sacrifice I willingly make. Now I think that maybe I was wrong. I think I can see the beauty in our new building from these photos. I guess I’ll have to do a drive-by soon! Except for JRC, Evanston isn’t in my usual path, so I haven’t been around to see the construction.
Sydney – Your comments very much coincide with mine. When we got down to the final stages of trying to match as best we could Revenues with Expenses on the Building, we had to make cuts. I was so afraid that we ended up with a “square box”, but I now can see the beauty of what was designed by our architects. I am so much looking forward to seeing it complete. Shabbat Shalom!
It has been satisfying, fulfilling, even thrilling to go out of my way a little bit each week to see our building as it has taken shape. Now it’s bordering on exciting. Plain does not have to be ugly; in fact, I’m glad we’re building a simple lined structure. It makes the details even better.
I think that there is a shul at the end of the tunnel! The building is looking so cool and even inspiring for us and for the whole community.