It has been a while since I posted an image of what the building will look like when finished, so I thought this might help, when looking at the images of progress below.  Preparations for the cladding of the Sports Hall continue, but with almost no tolerance allowed, every bracket and mount needs to be carefully aligned. Work on the roof should recommence next week and we have our fingers crossed for good weather, to allow the stone work to keep on track.

Comparing the drawing above and the picture taken today of the site, shows how well things are progressing, but also how much still needs to be done (Week 34 of 58).

Now the embankment is safe and the planting is complete, I ventured back up it today.  The fence has now been meshed (to stop stray sports balls) and the plants are bedding down well. It was great to see the building from a different angle as this is the view that the pupils and parents standing on the pitches will see. 

  

  

  

The internal block work continues a pace, with the changing rooms in the front right corner nearly complete to ceiling level (below right) and the remaining rooms and stores (below left), at least to head height. Ventilation systems, pipework and even the fire detection cabling is now being installed, forming a maze of trays, pipe runs and shafting around the ceilings, both upstairs and down. The second to last picture in the group below, shows the first internal walls upstairs, forming the plant room (now complete with cylinder!).  The final image is the new PE classroom, which will be upstairs, adjacent to the squash courts and with a view out towards Sheffield House.

  

    

The external frame to the Sports Hall continues to be fitted with brackets and mounts for the cladding. Once in place, the cladding should go up pretty quickly.  There are only 36 panels required to cover an end wall and they all slot in (a bit like Connect 4) in sequence. The difficult bit is that each panel weighs 130kg and there is not space for a crane!  On the front of the building, the gutters are being fitted to the flat roof area.

  

Hoping to get my first glimpse of the cladding panels in place next week, so here's hoping for sunshine and a calm wind.

Cat Thompson and Nanci Austin