January's Progress
With the curtainwall framing going up this week, visible signs of the building's progress are very evident. With the Commons/atrium wall framing the exterior boundaries of the library, we can really envision the atrium size. We are better able to imagine and plan for the activities that will be happening in this space-- seating, events, display, and as the main thoroughfare through the building, upstairs and down. The mezzanine-- the floor that extends into the atrium above the information desk-- will be an amazing addition to the library space, and we expect it to be one of our more popular hang-out areas.
Once the curtainwall framing is in place the large glass windows will be installed. At the same time inside crews will be working on Sheetrocking our new and existing walls and ceilings. The "small" conference room on the second floor is being framed in, and for us, it is small only in relation to the larger of the meeting/conference rooms on the second floor. It will seat at least 6 people, and be able to be reserved by groups ahead of time, as will the former Pye Room small meeting space.
We sometimes hear from folks watching the building progress who wonder at what appears to be the slowness of visible improvements. The amount of infrastructure-- heating and cooling, power, data, sprinklers, lighting-- that must be added into the building to make it safe and functional for future generations is astounding, and for the most part, it will be invisible by the end of the project. Here is a photo of the ceiling of the Children's Room, to give you an idea of the complexity of the infrastructure needs:
We are getting closer to finishing out-- Sheetrocking-- our interior spaces. What a difference that will be very soon!