October 2010 Progress Report

The whole building process is a fascinating unfolding story. It is full of wonder, excitement and the usual amount of frustrations.

We have been building our new home over 28 months now. This is not including the 2 years of design time we spent beforehand carefully laying out a plan that would hold the many facets of the Academy’s work and provide an inspiring setting for all of us.

Now that we are coming into the home stretch, with finishing touches added, we can really see and feel the fruits of our labors.

All the buildings have an exterior stucco now. Our beautiful wood decking has been set into place in many areas and brick patios are being laid out and installed. Flagstone patios have been set and soon stone steps and our ADA pathways will be in place. We have formed and constructed many tinted concrete retaining walls where essential, steps, and a beautiful curved bench retaining wall that surrounds part of the circular driveway in front of the Center.

Our Center courtyard is in the process of being formed, first with a sub floor, then with both brick and wood laid out in sections on top. The courtyard decks and subsequent plantings will “ripple out in waves off of our round meditation room, and provide a beautiful setting for conversation and reflection.

Our swales and berms seeded with grasses and covered with erosion fabric are mostly in place now. The initial plantings of trees necessary to receive of c of o will begin next week. The rest of our landscape plan will be a slow multi year process designed to work as an educational opportunity. There will be many gardens planted over time and all will be part of our innovative Learning Landscape project.

Most of our underground infrastructure has been laid out, including our roof run off irrigation system for plantings, and tied into our underground cistern. The cistern has held and will continue to hold all roof run off from rainfall. And our grey and black water system has been set in place. We will have visual panels when the Center opens to show how much water we have saved using roof runoff and grey and black water for all our landscaping.

Inside, our wood acoustical ceilings are being installed. Mud floors have been constructed in our meditation room and living room and will soon be finished with a “green sealer” and then a beeswax top coat. Wood casework has been installed in some rooms as well as our environmentally friendly countertops.

We are expecting to move into our new buildings in early spring. We can’t wait to feel and experience our new home and look forward to all the amazing programs that will take place there.

View of the Center and Seton Castle from the Art Studio. The Castle restoration will begin in a couple weeks.

View of the east side of the Center.

View of our cantilevered deck off of our main group room.
Looking east toward the Caretakers/Guest quarters and Art Studio.

Working on the roof deck on top of the Caretakers/Guest quarters.

View of the west side of the Center with our wood decking in place.

Under the cantilevered balcony in front of the Center. The doorway leads into our conference room.

Another view of the west side of the Center.

One of the flagstone patios in front of the Caretakers/Guest quarters. The Art Studio is to the right.

A view of the east side of the Art Studio.

Our Center courtyard under construction.

This image shows the rubber mason mounts used to create a "sprung floor" in our main group room. Plywood is then laid on top, with the radiant warm-board next, and then the final mesquite floor will be installed in a few months.

Our kitchen being installed in the Center.

A view of the Meditation room under construction.

Our entryway in the Center.