How the Sanctuary stays cool (and warm) during construction

Renewal construction updates (almost) as they happen, for the week of July 25, 2016.

In the last two weeks our general contractor, Pomerleau Inc., has continued with the precise work that is necessary to separate the Sanctuary from the rest of the building, while maintaining our sacred space in full operating condition. One of the most difficult pieces of the jigsaw puzzle is ensuring that we have strong heating and air conditioning systems that will continue to function throughout the construction period, as the current heating and cooling infrastructure is located in the demolition zone. That being the case, the mechanical contractor has almost finished installing two large temporary units that will connect into the original Sanctuary duct work and provide the comfort we require. These units should be fully operational later this week, and will be in place for about twelve months.

Selective demolition of the interior of the old building continues. This is similar to peeling back layers of an onion; small sections of walls are being removed to reveal the structure that lies behind. These pieces are then removed to confirm that the roof and floor sections are consistent with the original drawings, and so on. Soon, we anticipate that exterior walls will be removed which will enable us to begin the demolition of the floor of the old courtyard. This will open up the lower level of the building and allow the heavy demolition equipment to take over.

All of this to make way for our magnificent, light-filled central Atrium, Library, Café, Youth Lounge, Family Chapel and the rest of our Phase 1 spaces, all in a LEED Silver Certified, environmentally-friendly building.

A brief reminder that all High Holy Day services and programs will be taking place on-site this fall. We’ll be using the Main Sanctuary, Philip Smith Congregational Hall, 3rd floor Youth Chapel, and various other spaces within our School Wing. Specific services and room assignments are not yet finalized, so please look for more information later this summer in these bi-weekly Life at Holy Blossom updates.

As always, we thank you for your support.