July 2008 Progress Report

What a month! The Academy is well underway on the construction of our new Center. We’ve chosen insulated concrete forms or ICFs as the material for many of the walls. Others will be adobe. The ICF’s are the white walls you’ll see in the photographs. ICF’s are a green, environmentally friendly product that uses recycled plastic made into Styrofoam that sandwich a concrete and reinforced plastic and fiber core. We will eventually stucco the outside facades and plaster the interior walls. It’s a great product. The ICF has an excellent R-value, which means it is a highly energy efficient wall product. And the walls provide a palpable quiet for those inside. These walls block sound, so each room will be isolated from other rooms allowing us to hold workshops in peace and tranquility.

Here’s a view looking north from the lower level. On the left of this photo is the meditation chapel. We had to place all rooms firmly onto a granite foundation. In some areas the granite was close to the surface. Under the meditation chapel, we had to dig down an additional 15 feet to reach granite. Eventually, the cement foundation will be buried and not seen.

 


You can see the progress of our mediation chapel. The metal rebar visible will be encased in concrete to make our footings.  Eight inches from the top of the metal rebar is the floor level. On top of this concrete footer will lay adobe to create the round meditation room.

 



Looking west towards the Center from the Guesthouse/Caretaker’s site. The former Seton Castle is in the background.

 



Looking east towards the Center.

 



Our founder, Aaron Stern, is pointing to the Center and Seton Castle from the caretaker’s site. He is with Eleanor Makris, a long time colleague of the Academy and an Academy elder.