Foundation is taking shape

Now that the parking has moved to the west, the site preparation for the new building is moving quickly. The foundation is taking shape. Notice that it is going to be significantly above grade so that we can withstand floods. From an aerial view, we can start to see the footprint now!

Gone, gone, gone

One of the most exciting aspects of building a new campus building is that we'll have new, clean, purpose-built workshop spaces. Believe it or not, up until the end of this summer semester, we've been holding our mortar science, and some of our construction carpentry classes, in this tired old portable! We gathered with some champagne (non-alcoholic) to toast the removal of this eyesore this week. In keeping with our sustainable approach to construction, the building was moved to be re-used by a new owner. Video to follow!

More Parking Lot Preparation

It's Friday at 4:45 and we're supposed to be parking in this lot on Monday! Today, the work focused on putting down conduit for the electrical service to the parking lot light standards, and digging up the young trees and moving them to be replanted down at the new entrance area. We had yellow machines of all sizes at work this afternoon.

Building on the Floodplain

All of our campus is on the 100 year flood plain for the Tay River. Because of that, we have had to work closely with the Rideau Valley Consveration Authority in planning our new campus. We're building on the east end of our property to be as far away from the river as we can. The campus will not have a basement, but will have a higher than usual foundation to deal with the possibility of a flood. You can see that the water table is not too far below the surface here.

Trees are Cleared

The trees are all cleared from the front of the campus now, totally changing the appearance from Craig St. Work started up again on the new parking lot, with roadways being dug out, trenches established for the wiring to the new light standards, and the addition of various layers of fill to establish our permeable parking lot. A new entrance is being constructed, and we'll all have to learn to walk a little farther from our cars when the new campus opens up.

Trees coming down

To prepare the site for the new campus building, the land had to be cleared. Friday and Monday have been spent removing trees -- at a breathtaking pace. The work is done by a local company, and the trees will be chipped or milled for use as wood. This is part of our LEED approach to building -- the less fuel we spend moving materials, the better for the environment, and the more we can reuse materials, the less harmful our impact on the environment.

Getting Serious about Construction

Today, Frecon, our general contractor, pulled their construction trailer onto campus. That was a sign that more work is going to start soon on the actual construction of the building. Meanwhile, work continues on the parking lot.