During week fourteen, we were able to completely seal the building. With the arrival of the doors and windows, we now have a watertight structure. The Tavern Creek Loewen Window Center delivered three sets of sliding glass doors, two terrace doors, and one French terrace door. The installation required eight people to lift and place the doors and windows in their accurate places. After ensuring the nailing flange was level, square, and plumb, we insulated and flashed the sides of the doors to complete the seal. Finally, we applied Sikkens’s Natural Light wood finish to match the exterior siding finish.

Concrete work continued, as we poured foundations for the 300 lineal foot retaining wall that will encircle the plinth. We also built the formwork for this retaining wall, and look forward to pouring it next week. At a much smaller scale, we built the formwork for a bike storage unit we will be placing on the west side of the building. This unit encourages alternative transportation for citizens and will gain us one LEED point, as well as provide adequate protection for bicycles from the rain.

A representative from Standard Renewable Energy came this week to see our progress and provide consultation for the wind turbines and photovoltaic panels that we will be implementing in our project. He reviewed our footing placements, wiring details, and arrangements of the active systems. We also set a calendar for the arrival of these systems and their eventual start up dates. Driving by our site, you will notice our new job sign, displaying renderings of what the completed project, Greensburg’s 5.4.7 Arts Center, will look like.

On our way back to Lawrence for the weekend, we took a trailer full of recyclable building materials to Greenpoint Construction and Demolition Processing Center in Topeka. We spent the weekend cheering on our NCAA National Champions and making our final business transactions in Lawrence, for we will not be returning again until after May Fourth. Congratulations Jayhawks!