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Despite the freezing weather this week the groundworks sub-contractor is continuing to finish work on the external hard landscaping; the paving slabs and tarmac.

Along with transforming the muddy site into areas of paving and a car park, the Contractor is installing the new lamp posts. These will give much needed artificial lighting to the car park and building entrance, making it more welcoming and safer.

All in the detail

It's the final countdown this week, so the Contractor will be pulling out all the stops to get the building finished to a standard we'll be able to accept on Friday. That's the plan at least.

The ongoing challenge for us and the Contractor will be keeping an eye on the final details to check we're all satisfied with the quality of workmanship, that everything works, and that the building is 'practically complete'. This is no mean feat in a building where various trades are all under pressure to deliver at the same time, and when the Site Manager and our Project Coordinator are juggling numerous decisions and last minute issues.

The satellite dish location is a good illustration of this. The Electrical Contractor located the dish and TV aerial on the wall where it received good reception, which also hapens to be side of the building that most passers-by will see. Whilst it's not a complete eyesore it does detract from the relatively uncluttered rendered wall. Architect and Client both agreed that they don't want to see the dish/aerial and the Contractor has kindly relocated it.

This might not seem a big deal, but it's these 'snags' and other detailing issues that will be identified over the next few days to make sure that the building is a great as it ought to be.

A week to go

This time next week we'll be meeting on site with the Contractor to check that we're satisfied that the building is Practically Complete. Hopefully this will be the case and we'll be able to take the keys and ownership of Resound!

In the meantime Cowlin still have plenty to do, finishing off areas, snagging, landscaping and transforming a construction site into a gleaming and completed building. We'll also be snagging the building with our Project Manager later next week to check we're happy with progress before we accept the keys.

The lights are on

Up until a few days ago the building has been illuminated day and night by the Contractor's work lights.

There is now power on throughout the building and the bulk of the permanent light fittings have been installed and switched on, including the street lamps for the car park and these huge fittings within the main hall.

Storage

Last time we saw this it was a series of coloured squares in an Excel spreadsheet. It's now a storage wall within the preschool, so they'll have plenty of cupboards to store their belongings in.

Meanwhile, site was extremely busy when we visited this morning, with the first signs of the big clean up starting.

Carpet

The final finishes are being installed despite some parts of the building still looking like a building site. So you have to look very closely at the photo to see the green carpet that's been chosen for the office area - it's mostly hidden by a protective sheet until the Contractor is ready to do their 'sparkle clean'.

And yes, that is really what they call it!

More chairs

We looked at chairs for the main hall back in March 2011, but now that we've almost got the keys to the building it's time we ordered some! So, we've been looking at a whole range of chairs to see what would fit the space, be the most comfortable and come within budget.

These are the ones that didn't make it through the selection process, for a variety of reasons.

The more we think about what we do want, and how to use environmentally responsible materials that allow the maximum density of people, the more long wooden benches sound like a good idea. And if we added backs to them.......

Landscaping

Despite the heavy frost this morning the groundworks contractor is onsite and starting work on the landscaping. With the scaffold removed from the building a few weeks ago, and the site compound less full of construction materials as the completion date nears, they can now access most of the site.

Whilst they're only moving piles of earth and installing kerbs today, we expect to see the first of the paving being installed by the end of the week, turning the sea of mud into something far more welcoming!

Technical Fit-out

Along with being home to Resound church and Crossways Pre-school, our aim is for the new building to be a resource for the local community. In particular we'd like to see the building used for the performing arts. To enable both this and our Sunday church meetings, an essential part of the building is the PA, video and lighting systems.

This week our specialist supplier Rock Tech will start the fit-out of these systems, using the trusses they've already installed and conduit installed by the main Contractor. Whilst budget constraints have limited some of the equipment being installed at this stage, we'll still be able to open the building in style!

The technical and building design gives us the flexibility to, in due course, expand the fit-out as budgets allow to meet the future needs of the building and it's users.

Canopy

All the wind and rain we've experienced over the last few days has made us take particular notice of the newly installed glass entrance canopy when we were on site yesterday.

Designed to give some shelter when entering and exiting the building, the simple and elegant glass and stainless steel canopy looks great against the glazed entrace and larch timber cladding.

New Year, new fixtures & fittings

New Year has brought the start of the most exciting time of the build: delivery and installation of the final finishes and fixtures and fittings.

Whilst many of these won't be fully completed and revealed to us until later in January we've taken a sneak peak at a few of the things that are now on site:


The servery/bar & kitchen equipment:








The Preschool: