It's all taking shape so fast!

I missed a visit to Te Takere last week so this week it was exciting to see the framework for that first Waka panel in situ.  They told me it was big - it is - and the other  frames are laid out on the floor in position waiting to be bolted upright so we could imagine how beautiful the curved line of panels is going to look.

The panels for the opposite side are lying down on their sides at the other side of what will become the large open centre space.  Now we can get a feel for just how spacious that area is going to be.  Wow!

The framing for the new returns room is up and it too has a lovely curved wall.  So much nicer than straight lines.  Probably a bit of a pain for the builders but I'm sure the end result will be worth it.

The painting and decorating is well under way with much of the plasterwork being done.  The firewall next to the mall has been painted as have all of the high steel trusses.

First Waka Panel being installed

The first Waka panel is taking shape and is bigger than expected!  Larissa kindly posed beside it so you can get an idea of scale.  They will look dramatic when all of the panels are in place.






  

Progress in the new space is steady with the new sliding door panels being fitted on the rooms at the back.

     

    
                                   Walls in the rooms are being covered, plastered and painted.

 The whole complex is taking on a light airy feel.

 Ceilings in the rooms are being fitted and work continuing in wiring.









                               Outside work on the veranda for the sails progresses steadily.
 

Can you imagine?

Now that the lovely curved staircase is in place it is easier to imagine a beautiful woman in evening wear sweeping down to a ball room.   I hope that we can have such events in Te Takere once it is open as the wide open space in the centre will make a fabulous dance floor.  Beth didn't quite fit the bill in her high vis vest and hard hat but I'm sure you get the picture!




Painters are still very busy coating the metal beams with fresh white paint.


The last of the wall cladding is being fixed.  As ever I am impressed with the tidy work practices being employed.  All of the potentially hazardous material that could be left lying about is being removed as soon as it can be so that there are clear safe spaces for people to work.  Having grown up with a builder for a Dad I know this was not the case on all building sites!

One more ramp just next to the new lift shaft on the ground floor is about to be concreted so that it will be easy for us to transport trolley loads of books or people in wheel chairs from one floor to another.

Framing is being installed to support the suspended ceiling in the storeroom.  There is still so much to do and much of it will be invisible once the building has been completed but steady progress is being made.

Beth couldn't resist ducking in to the cupboard under the stairs and pretending she was Harry Potter.  The design of the building means that every bit of possible storage space has been claimed - we are really looking forward to having places to put things so that we no longer have desks with boxes stacked under and around them!  There won't be much room for poor Harry in the cupboard.

Painters working hard

Not so many scissor lifts in evidence today - most of the high stuff seems to be in place.  Today there were painters up high painting the air conditioning ducts white.  I am so pleased that we are avoiding 'industrial chic' by disguising the elements of the building that are less than beautiful!  I was never a fan of exposed steel beams and ducting so it's great to see ours fading into the high ceiling.




With most of the wall cladding up and the Potter system wall framing it's all looking great.

I can't wait to see the new staircase in place.  It is going to look fantastic.  This shot was taken from up on the mezzanine looking down to where it is lying on the floor next to the temporary stairwell.  You can see how the bottom section will flare out wider at the beginning.  I can just imaging the Miss Horowhenua contestants parading  beautifully down the stairs.
Or how about a wedding in Te Takere?  The imagination runs wild!




For a busy building site the whole area is remarkably clean.  Most of the building debris is cleaned up along the way and the floors are constantly swept of concrete dust.   Looking really good!

Oh the space!

The colleague who came with me was blown away by the space.   She hadn't been inside the building since work commenced.  It's really hard to visualise just where everything will be when you are looking at a floor plan.  Now, like the rest of us, she is excited about the prospect of moving in.





The lift shaft is just about complete, the ceiling is up and the walls are clad.

The framing for the glass walls of the meeting rooms is being installed. For those of you with a technical bent the window walls are being fixed using the Potter system.   More info is available at http://www.potters.co.nz/   This means the meeting rooms will all have a lot of natural light and although people will be able to see inside they will still be private conversation spaces.

The verandah has almost been covered in and you can see the eye bolts that the shade banners will be fixed to.  One of our borrowers commented last week that the poles make the front of the building look like the United Nations.  I like to think that  a United Levin will be using this fantastic facility before too long.
(It isn't really leaning over - that 's just the effect you get when you try to take long shots on a small camera!)

The space at the Bath Street end of the building has been cleared to make way for a beautiful Chinese garden which is being sponsored by our very generous Chinese community.  It will be accessible only from inside the library with no access from the footpath so children will be safe from traffic.

Just imagine sitting out there with a coffee and a book on a lovely  afternoon, or even in the early evening in summer.  I look forward to the transformation from building site to garden.

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.