Day 288…13/04/11

Some pictures of the build so far. Everything going to plan for May 9th Opening. Colour schemes are being finalised.

 

 

Day 252…8/3/11

Here’s a few more pictures. Walls going up, tiles going down, still no windows, but hey, the rains have pretty much stopped!

 

Day 220…4/2/11

It’s been a busy week, not least because Ruthie’s been on the ground making things happen in double-time. We had a very useful site meeting with all responsible parties in one room so we could get some straight answers.

Aside from the physical build we’ve made great headway on the furnishings and fixtures including Air conditioning and garden layout. We’re also trying to find the best solutions as to how the Kitchen/Cafe will be run, asking local entrepreneurs to propose their business plans for the cafe space.

Day 197…12/1/11

Day 196…11/01/11

So the blog’s been quiet for a while, not that it’s been quiet on the building front, but there’s not really a lot to be reported. The intricacies are underway- fixing of electrical sockets, roof soffits, preparing for window frames etc. There’s been heavy banging over the last few days as the builders prepare the floor for the screed which in turn is a base for the vinyl and tiles. Snagging (fault finding) begins on a more detailed level, and hopefully the windows will be in by the end of the month. Then it’s down to the final fix and decoration.

Day 163…9/12/10

So the roof  is on, and now the real work can start!

Day 162…8/12/10

The roof is getting there (see pictures). There have been a few days of wet offices and walls while the roof was being prepared, but we hope that is the end of the dampness. Plastering is going nicely and there’s a grand effort going in to getting the furnishings ready for shipment in the UK.

 

Day 154…30/11/10

So the roof is finally taking shape, which is great news because the rains are finally here. One downpour last week nearly flooded the ground floor of the children’s ward, but the quick action of the staff prevented any disruption! Other developments saw the plastering of the internal walls and the preparations for the finishing of the external walls. We’re hoping to see some quick developments in the next few weeks because we’re chasing the deadline of Christmas. We’ll miss the official deadline due to unforeseen problems early on in the excavation, and the Christmas shutdown of all building trades will slow things down, but realistically, once the roof is on and the plastering is complete it will look almost finished in the photos. We’re wrestling with a few electrical layout decisions to ensure the finished space is as usable and functional as possible. Next of course is the final fit out which will hopefully be attractive to private patients, nurses and customers in the cafe.

 

Day 134…10/11/10

Plenty of action this week. The upstairs layout has been revised to cater for a low ceiling, but some clever engineering has managed to reduce the impact of the low ceiling. The original design was for the ceiling to be 2.1m in a few areas- a little low for a tall person. The new design should push this up to a spacious 2.35m- a lot less cramped! This will require the builders to cut back the existing roof (a little risky considering the weather, see pictures!) but it should be watertight by the end of the day, all being well.

You can also see the definition of the top floor taking shape, with the windows and brickwork obvious. This will naturally lead on to the roofwork starting very soon.

As i mentioned we had the worst storm in a long while last week, bringing down trees onto minibuses and pedestrians and flattening vegetation with the massive hailstones. This was just a foretaste of things to come so it’s not surprising the contractor is anxious to get the roof on!

I had the arduous job of going coffee tasting this week, all part of the process for fitting out the kitchen/cafe area in the downstairs space. We’re all thinking hard about how the space can be designed to be as functional, hygienic, relaxing and modern as possible, and coffee facilities are certainly high on the agenda!

Day 125…1/11/10

So on Friday the remainder of the first floor slab was completed. This only took half a day because again they had the use of a JCB- a bit of  a luxury here in Malawi! We also had our first storm on Saturday, signifying the onset of the Rainy season (worst in Nov- March). The columns on the first floor should go up quickly, and then the brickwork, leaving only the roof as the remaining external structure. The cladding on the ground floor is also underway giving us a glimpse of the appearance of the final building.