Mar '09 update

By 1st week of March, concrete were finally laid for the uppermost floor.














Don't know what it is called.. with a circular pan attached, it is used to smooth and even out wet concrete surface .



















Soon the columns form work were up for the last time.

































The column and beam structure to support the wind turbine.






































A peek into what is in mind - a vertical axis wind turbine.



















A last minute addition - provision for a lift well! Is that cool or a crazy idea?














The view from a little distance.














Steel bars were hoisted by crane to the top, coated with anti-rust oxide paint in a dip bath.

































Sections welded together for extended length.



















The welders were up to their final task, pretty well attired!




























Watch them moving around with incredible agility and balance without safety harness was heart stopping!














Squad, bend over to do the weld job! Seem they are capable of anything up there.














These are the 2 most skillful workmen on site perhaps, like spider-men spinning a steel web up there.




















































Form work were put in place to adjust column's height to the roof structure.



















Roof structure welded to the reinforced column's steel bars, can't be more secured!














Roof structure seen from ground level.














Meanwhile external walls for 3rd storey were going up too.















At various distances and perspectives.



















Spot the spider-men up there?




























Like performing a high wire walk, no sweat - even with pretty gusty winds swaying the fishing nets on foreground!




























Other activities around work site - winch hoisting building materials to the upper floors.



















Smiling women "de-nailing" timber pieces for re-use. They were accustomed to me walking around with a camera.



















An improvised DIY lamp for work at night - bare wire clips, PVC pole and halogen lamp!



















My favorite photo of the day.

Feb '09 Update

Feb may be a short month but not short of progress!

As of mid Feb, construction on the 3rd storey has begun.
Seen here a worker stretched out perilously close to the edge erecting the steel reinforcement and form work. It is routine work for him but my legs will go weak up there like that!

































Walls on the lower floor were going up too.














The shed on the left where steel were cut and prepared.










A make shift workbench may be, it did serve its purpose in bending & forming the steel bars.



















Burying the electrical line across the drive way to the steel work shed.














By end Feb, much of walls on lower floors were completed.















Seeing it through the phases - from concept, planning to building it now is extremely satisfying!









The farm is now visible from the main road 2km away, across rice fields. The fields were prepared for the next growing season. Birds often come to feed after the grounds were raked.














The staircase is to be sandwiched between double walls.



















The 1m space between the double walls will also serve as a humidity creating chamber using solar energy - one of my pet DIY experimental project.



















My first visit to the top level, the air well where roving room is to build over. Wire mesh were laid over the pre-fab slabs with another 5 cm concrete layer poured over.














View of the neighboring bird house from above, thanks to its presence. Surely it will help to start my bird colonies.














View of the surrounding shrimp farms.







Panorama view with some optical distortions.





The deep pond (100m x 50m) within the property where workers fished for diner. Guess it is time to replenish fish stock by the time construction completes.










A cattle quenched its thirst at the far end of the deep pond. Grasses here are >2m tall dwafting the animal!



















Workers and family socializing on Sunday evening.