April - May 2009 Progress Report

Over these past two months we have moved at great speed on the progress of our new Center. Many walls have been built in insulated concrete forms and in adobe. The radius roof truss system is set in place on the main Gallery or group room and the decking is welded in place. Soon a plywood skin and weather barrier will be laid on top of the decking and then the final standing metal seam roof will be the final cover. We’ve chosen a neutral dark background color for the roof so there will not be any glare and so the building can blend beautifully into the landscape. Steel beams were set in place just recently over the portal in the courtyard and over the lobby. Hopefully all the buildings will be under roof in August. The Center will have two radius roofs over our two gathering rooms and the rest will have a flat roof.

The caretaker’s/guest quarters building is underway and is being built of adobe. The concrete header beams have been formed and poured to get ready for the roof system. And we’ve just set the first insulated concrete forms for the walls on the art studio and mechanical room. The caretaker’s/guest quarters and art studio will have flat roofs.

The views are spectacular from many areas. We have a 28 ft wide expanse of sliding glass pocket doors to the south and a 14 ft wide expanse to the west in our Gallery or main gathering room that have no columns or obstructions. We can step out onto the balcony and see the extraordinary views of the mountains. We’ve created many areas that seamlessly blend the inside to the outside, so when we meet in groups, we can pause at times and enjoy all the beautiful surroundings Santa Fe has to offer. There are patios and balconies with views to all three mountain ranges that surround Santa Fe.

We will be reporting again soon of the progress in the next month. Please stay tuned!

The radius roof truss system over the main gathering room

The 28 ft and 14 ft openings in the main gathering room

The steel beams being set in the portal. The portal is part of our central courtyard in the Center.

The caretaker's/guest quarters under construction.

A view of the Center from the bridge.