What a difference a week makes

Wow!  I say this every week but the progress next door is astounding.

The lift shaft is no longer a hole in the ground.  It looks so different that I hardly recognised it.  Won't it be great when wheelchairs and baby buggies can get upstairs with no trouble at all.







 We are planning to have the upstairs mezzanine as a quiet study area but I'm sure that people will want to just hang out there as it will be a very attractive space.  A real room with a view overlooking the rest of the library.

The painters are busy turning the steel trusses white which makes them almost disappear against the white ceiling.   Gets rid of the 'industrial look' of the wide open space very effectively.











This morning two collegues who have not visited the site for a while came with me.  We are very grateful to Mario and the team who allow us to wander about and take photographs, and who take the time to explain just what is going on.
It's always surprising how big rooms look once the walls have been clad - we are very happy with the way the spaces have been defined within Te Takere and every time we visit we come away bubbling with ideas of events and programmes we hope to run there.

Room for everybody and everything!

With the gib now on the office walls it's easy to imagine lots of community groups using the fabulous meeting spaces Te Takere will offer.  The biggest meeting room, which will be able to be split into two with a folding dividing wall will be perfect for our library programmes as well as for meetings held by other local organisations. And the two other rooms will be great for smaller groups.  All rooms are sound insulated so holiday programmes and class visits should be almost un-noticed by library users unless they choose to watch through the big glass windows.

The ceiling is almost completed and it looks really good.  I love the way the steel beams have been boxed up with timber.  They look so much more elegant than cold steel beams would and they contrast beautifully with the ceiling material.

The supports for the verandah roof are going up fast.  Won't it be great to have a non leaky cover over the front of the building!

This week the plan is to begin installing the air conditioning ducting.  In a space this big it will be essential for everyone's comfort.

What's not to love!?

Wow!  The changes that a few months can bring.  While being away in Wellington for the past six months, I have felt that I have been missing out on all the action with the building of our new library.  Today, I had the priviledge of having a look-see into the building.... and all I can say is Wow! 

I am so excited to see so much progress being made.  And no wonder.  On Tuesday there were 36 people working in Te Takere.  That is a massive amount of labour.  

Here is the last of the insulation going up.  Already on the other side they are putting up the lovely looking ceiling panels.

 

 

 

On the road to nowhere?  Here is the ramp and the outline of the walkway which will eventually lead us into the youth space.

 

Wired for sound.  Just look at this organised spaghetti of wires and cables.  This is the foundation of Te Takere being able to offer wi-fi in every little nook and cranny of the centre.

 We are all so impressed and excited to see what will be done next.

And the verandah will be ....

With the poles up along the front of Te Takere now we can see the shape of how it will to look when the shade sales and the glass verandah have been put in.  The old building will be unrecognisable and I'm sure will become a landmark for our town.   The verandah will continue around into Bath street to tie the old library and the new area of Te Takere together.  This will really make the building stand out as folk are driving north along Oxford Street.

The lift shaft is being lined with concrete blocks - it still looks like a REALLY big hole!

The electricians are flat out installing wiring and the ceiling installation continues. 

Gib board is being attached to the walls of the  office and meeting spaces making them look bigger than ever.  I can just imagine local groups using these rooms for regular meetings or training sessions.  Perfect!
The gib around the meeting rooms is rated as sound proofing and the gib on the walls of the store room is fire rated.  

This morning I took two collegues onto the site with me.  Neither of them had been inside the building since work began.  They were blown away by the obvious progress as well.