Getting close . . .

With the move in date just a month or so away, the campus is starting to have some finishes applied. The installation of the mechanical system is pretty much finished, most of the drywall is up, some of the flooring is down. The floors are going to be polished concrete, marmoleum (a product made with linseed oil and hence a sustainable product) and cork.

On the mechanical room mezzanine the electrical panels are in and the grey water collection system in place. The grey water will be used to flush toilets to reduce our environmental impact.

The duct work along the walls is covered with beautiful maple that matches the doors, the kitchen cabinetry is installed, the tiles are going up in the washrooms.

Outside, the entrances all have doors now, and the landscaping work is underway.

Our occupancy date has been moved back to August 15, which is cutting it pretty close for the start of classes. But my tour this week showed that some of the spaces really are close to being ready for our big move-in -- the classrooms, the offices, and the masonry shop.

The cable is being pulled in the computer lab, the walls are painted, and workers were sanding the floors to prepare them for the marmoleum. Who knew that good old linoleum is one of the greenest floor products around, made from linseed oil?

The masonry shop has been brightened up with a coat of paint, and you can begin to appreciate how big it is. The extra height will allow the students to use scaffolds inside and build larger, more interesting projects in the dead of winter. There are chimneys, too, so that the fireplaces they build can be fired and tested.

The progress on the mechanical system is most evident in the cafeteria, where a bulkhead has appeared in the last week. Plumbing is starting to appear in the washrooms, too. And the framing for the doors and windows in the Students Association areas is in.

Some of the interior windows and doors have been installed. In the new building, guests to the campus will be able to take a look into both the joinery and the masonry shop to see our students in action.

The main entrance is almost complete -- the canopy is shingled, and the masonry accents are being applied. The exterior of the trades wing will have the final touch of the wood siding completed by next week.

Indoor spaces starting to be defined

President Gillett, Director of Physical Resources Mike Rushton, Head of Major Construction John Dalziel, and Architect John Cook toured the Perth Campus construction site yesterday. The interior spaces are starting to take shape -- the shops have walls, acoustic block features, and all of the floors are poured. Drywall is up for most of the offices and classroom spaces, and some of it is painted already. Outside, there is a mock-up of the masonry finish showing how the siding and masonry accents will work together. You can see the mechanical system installations moving forward quickly too.

Construction site is hopping now that spring is here

We took the fundraising campaign cabinet on a tour of the site today. There were skilled tradesworkers of all descriptions there -- drywallers, roofers, electricians, hvac specialists. There is drywall on most of the walls now; the carpentry shop has a floor and the masonry half wall is up. You can really see how the light will brighten up the entrance and the hallways and how comfortable it will be in the cafeteria.

Dust Collection System Arrives

Today was a busy day on the construction site -- there were insulation installers, window and door installers and, most exciting of all -- the arrival of the new dust collection system for the shops, which looks remarkably like a rocket ship going up.

Getting ready for our dust collection

Today they were pouring the pad for a new dust collection system for our carpentry and masonry shops.

Inside work underway

The electrical and mechanical system work has been progressing. Some drywall is going up.