SNOW!

Unseasonable cold and now a little snow is not helping us.  It is too cold for the masons to work, since the mortar will not set up properly.  Well digging continues and some interior work does too.  Temporary indoor heat will be installed as soon as the windows are completed.  More pictures at Our Picture Albums

Windows on the west side!

We are starting to close up the southern wing of the building now.  Here you can see recently installed windows.  To facilitate indoor installation work, temporary closures at the south (right side of this picture) will be put in place and a temporary heating system will provide the proper environment for the workers and materials.

Recent pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity/ConstructionNov27Dec42010#

The stone wall on the chapel is coming along very nicely, too, as you can see below.

Stone!

Stone masons are working on the east wall of the Chapel and Courtyard, giving a hint of the handsome artisan work which will greet community members and visitors at the entrance.  CLICK HERE for access to albums showing the construction progress.

More Bricks and Steel!

This week has brought more bricks and steel to our site.  And the utility pipes are being dug in at a great rate as well.

Steel is being installed for the roof of the north end of the building. 
This will be the living, dining rooms, kitchen and other public and administrative spaces.

The platform for the bricklayers is working its way up the west side of the residential wing.

One of the bricklayers at work.

There are another 25 pictures from Wednesday at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity/Construction13Oct2010

LOTS of activity, things are really shaping up!

The last couple weeks have seen more steel, concrete, indoor framing and plumbing and the north end of the building really starting to take shape.

Work on the roof of the residential wing began in earnest.

The Chapel gets the beginnings of a roof.

Steel posts and beams give shape to the common and public areas of the residence.

The chapel ceiling beams are lifted into place.

A room with  a view.

Looking north to the chapel.

The cement slab is poured for the whole north end of the building in one day.

View of the living room and dining room terrace from one of the rooms.

A lot more pictures from this week at  http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity/Construction8Oct10# 

More steel, concrete and stone!

The last fee weeks have seen dramatic changes in the site.  The third floor residential wing now has the  ceiling/roof concrete planks installed.  Planks were installed yesterday to form the floor of the reading room. The large square masonry wall you see to the right is the core of the east wall of the chapel.












A stone shooter (below) was used to spread stone on the north end of the building in preparation for pouring the concrete slab.

In the residence wing, the corridor on the first floor is taking shape as the studding for the room and corridor walls goes up.

More pictures from yesterday and today can be seen at Construction17Sept .

Concrete plank installation.

Here is  video of installation of concrete planks which form the ceiling of the second floor and base of third floor residential wing.  Pretty cool!

Fourth of July!!

 

I have been away for a week in California for the Superiors Colloquium at Santa Clara University, with 60 other relatively new superiors.  Since mid-June the building is clearly taking shape.  The basement of the residential wing is now topped with it's ceiling, which of course is the floor of the first floor.  Footings for the rest of the building, which does not have a basement, are being poured so that we can begin to see the shape of what the whole residence will look like.

More Pictures HERE

Residential wing is taking shape..

We are coming above ground nicely.  The plywood framing  you see at the top of the wall is for the grouting which will be poured when the cement planks for the first floor are lifted into place.  More pictures from today are posted at:

Our Picasa site

Here you can also see prior pictures.

Its MAY and there is PROGRESS

After a very snowy and wet winter and early spring, we are finally making great strides.   Recent pics are available at our Picasa site:  http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity

FINALLY!!! some action!

After seven weeks of inactivity because of bad weather, we are finally getting important grading done in preparation for laying the foundation of the Residence.  The white area is stone dust which has been imported to build up the pad for the foundation.  Other pictures, including some of the western work for water control can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity/Grading570420March#

Digging Deeper

Work continues on chomping away at the hill behind our current residence for the new building and for the water management project at the west (and lower) end of the property.  More pictures here.

Temporary Parking built today!

After a bit of delay due to snow last Friday, the temporary parking spaces were asphalted and striped today.  We will soon lose access to our former parking spaces, which will only be open to construction vehicles and deliveries. More photos of the work can be seen HERE.

A Dusting

Overnight brought a dusting of snow.  Here are a few shots taken early this morning.

Getting serious

Today's work was still preparatory.  Root pruning of the trees to be conserved, more chain link fencing to protect trees, erosion control fencing, tree stump removal and the installation of a "run off" so that trucks leaving the property will have earth shaken and washed off them before re-entering Roland Avenue.
More pictures can be seen HERE

New Year's Day 2010

New Year's Day at Colombiere saw our property studded with fence posts, waiting for the chain link to pull them together.  All this temporary fencing is to protect the trees (the ones which were not cut down for the new residence) from being damaged during the construction.  The fencing will be taken down at the completion of the construction project in early 2011.  More pictures from today can be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/colombierecommunity/NewYearSDay2010#