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The Fire 6: 1st Floor Shell Complete
CEILING OFF THE FIRST FLOOR AND LAYING THE FLOOR FOR THE SECOND
STORY:
November, 2003
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After the foundation and floor was laid, steel pillars were set in place to help
share the load of the second story (block and cement), as well as provide
structure for the cement block walls. |
Pillars are placed every 8 feet
throughout the structure |
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Closeup of the corrugated steel from the underside at the front
entrance to the school.
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Miss Fareza Kahn, a Guyanese teacher who lives with Rev. & Mrs.
Poettcker and fourth grade teacher is seen in front of the building as
the supports for the second story balcony are set up in preparation for
pouring cement on the second floor. . |
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Meanwhile, stairs are built to the second floor enabling the workmen
to lay out the steel reinforcing bars and all the other basics for a
solid second floor and first floor (leak proof) ceiling. I say leak
proof because until we can get the money to begin the second floor roof,
we will be dependent upon the first floor to stay leak proof. So far so
good.
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A side view of the second floor balcony overhang which is necessary
to shield students waiting for rides after school from both the sun and
the rain, though a driving rain will still require them to wait inside. |
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 Steel reinforcement rods are tied individually across the whole
floor in preparation for the pouring of the cement. Between this steel
and the beams underneath, once the cement is poured, there will be a
very strong structural unit securing the walls, the beams and the
pillars.
An interesting anecdote is in order as a testimony to God's
providential oversight. We were in the process of planning a second
floor for a portion of the the old building that was burned.
Engineers came and told us that the pillars in the old chapel area
were strong enough to support a second floor because they had steel
in them. As it turned out, we discovered after the fire that they
did not have steel within them and so would probably have not
supported the weight of a second story. God is good and saved us
through this fire.
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Rev. Asgar Hamid, bringing his children to school walking past the
construction trailers which serve as the school administration offices
while the rebuilding goes on. |
The picture below is a composite of five different pictures taken
panoramically from the top of one of the construction trailers on the site,
showing the completion of the first floor shell. Though there is some
distortion (as with a wide-angle lens), it still gives a good perspective of the
property. The picture below is an old panorama shot from across the street from
the school (not possible now because of all the construction trailers hiding the
view from the street.
BEFORE THE FIRE (October, 2002)
Far left: House of Rev. & Mrs. Asgar Hamid,
also served as Rev. Poettcker's school office.
To right of house with first red roof: Junior High School
building (built 1992). Senior high met under trees or under roof overhangs or
doubled up in the classrooms while the school was being built.
Far right: Kindergarten classrooms (K-4 & K-5). Built 1998.
To left of Kindergarten: Elementary school building built in
1982.
AFTER BUILDING FIRST FLOOR SHELL (December, 2003)
Below is the plan. The picture above can be compared with the first floor on
this picture to see what remains to be done.
To continue,
click here to go to the next stage of the building process.
While you are waiting for the new page, please pray for God to provide the
finances needed to complete the rebuilding process.
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