Still on track

Since my last post almost a month ago, much has been happening on the construction site, although perhaps not so noticably and dramatically as when the exterior walls and roof were going up!

The focus these last few weeks has been on mechanical and electrical work, insulation, and most recently, the installation of the glazing (windows).  With the onset of colder weather, the construction crew will be very glad to have the building sealed, and some heat turned on inside!

The photos below were taken last week:

                           Glazing at the main entry to the library - very bright and welcoming

The clerestory windows beneath the roof line, bringing in plenty of natural light to the second floor 

The beautiful big windows in the children's area

Windows on the exterior wall of the multipurpose/meeting room - what a nice change this will be!

A view of the western side of the building, showing the glazing on the second floor.  When the long orange tarp is removed, the dramatic two-storey glazing in the main stair area will be revealed!



Topping out

A high point, literally, was reached in the construction of the new library this week with the traditional "topping out" ceremony.  The last piece of steel was raised to the highest point of the building's structure, marking the completion of the skeleton.  The finishing touches can now begin, including flooring, windows, paint and many other details.

A small tree was attached to the piece of steel, and if you look very closely in the photo below, you can see the tree at the top of the concrete corner "tower."

Following the ceremony, I had another walk-through the building, and indeed, those fir beams visible on the second floor are a thing of beauty!  I can hardly wait to see the reactions from our customers when they see them for the first time!

The roof is still being completed, with several layers, including membrane and insulation, still to come. The photo below is looking north, with the elevator shaft in the middle:

This photo is looking up toward the clerestory windows; the railing is temporary.

The view from the windows still impresses me, and I'm happy to see that our customers will be able to enjoy these views while sitting in the many chairs around the outside walls.  The photo below is looking southwest.

Gluelams

This has been an exciting week in the construction of the branch, with the addition of the beautiful gluelams - the long (100 feet long!), curved wood pieces that are the main architecural feature of the second floor. 

The gluelams were manufactured by Structurlam in Okanagan Falls. The photo below was taken at their facility in late August and shows the flat glued pieces being pressed, before the sanding, drilling and finishing processes.

The gluelams were shipped here to Vernon by truck, and made an impressive sight on the highway, indeed! The photos below were taken during the installation process on the library site, late last week:

 Now that the gluelams are in place, the decking can now be added, in preparation for the installation of the curved roof.  This photo, taken just this morning, shows this process.  Very impressive, I'm sure you'd agree!

Beams

I saw some excellent progress on the new building today on all three levels.  The lower parking level has just been painted, and the light colour, combined with plenty of natural light, give the area an open feeling, not dark and oppressive. The photo below shows what I mean.

More wall framing is taking place on the first floor, giving definition to the spaces, but the most exciting development is the addition of the beautiful support beams on the second floor. The clerestory windows and of course the massive curved roof will be built above these beams, but even still covered in plastic, they are impressive on their own!
            

                               Looking northwest

                          
                                Looking southwest       

Beginning to take shape - guided tour

At my visit to the new library site this week I could see considerable progress, particularly on the main floor, where the walls are going up, defining spaces such as the multi-purpose room and the children's area. Because we're far enough into the project that it is possible to get a feel for the layout, ORL's public relations officer, Marla O'Brien and I have created a video tour for your enjoyment:

 http://www.youtube.com/OKRegLibrary

Parking and picture books

The parking level for the new branch will have 36 stalls and is filled with plenty of natural light, due to the slope of the site. The photo below shows not only the progress on this level, but also the west-facing windows (on the lower part of the slope) which will provide much of this light.

The most visible corner of the library on the ground floor features curved windows which are part of the children's area, in particular where the picture books will be shelved.  This will be a wonderful area for children and parents to browse and read together - watch for additional "clover" tables and "seat-belt" chairs in bright colours! The open spaces below show where these (north-east) facing windows will be.

Going up....

With a two-storey building, one of the most important elements in its construction is the elevator!  There will, in fact,  be two elevators in the library.  One that goes between the underground parking level and the first floor, and another, located centrally on the main floor, that goes between this and the second floor.

While at the site recently, I couldn't resist taking this photo while looking up through the partially completed main-second floor elevator shaft. 

  The same elevator, this time viewed from the second floor.  The elevator door will be on the opposite side (facing west), and will be opposite the top of the main staircase. Our main Information desk, magazines, public Internet stations, computer lab, small group study room, most adult materials and plenty of seating will be on the second floor, so I know there will be a lot of traffic going up there! 

Great view from the second floor

Taken a bit later in June, this photo is taken from the second floor, looking to the west. What a fabulous view!

Keeping track of progress

Welcome to the new Vernon Branch library blog!  Over the next several months, I will be providing regular progress reports on this exciting project as it is completed.  Photos are the best way to track changes as they occur, and I will include as many as I can, along with descriptions of what you are seeing!

These photos were taken June 1, and construction has progressed since then, but I think it's interesting to see the process. This photo, looking southwest, shows the concrete columns between the first and second floors. The opening in the lower left is for the elevator shaft from the underground parking level.

This view, looking west, shows the ramp down to the entrance to the underground parking level.

This last photo taken on June 1 is looking northwest and shows the beginnings of the second floor decking. That's the corner of the Tolko building on the right, which is across 30th Avenue from the library.