Walking into Hobson Square last Thursday was a true construction experience. About 10 people hammering away driving nails to skin the last few panels for the five outer towers of the Temple. The sound was thunderous. Excitement was high. A milestone was in sight.
Starting on Monday, May 2, the Temple Construction Crew began measuring, cutting and laying out lumber to frame these panels. Sawdust flew. Nails flew. Tape measures and chalk lines laid down the guidelines for the crew to follow. The activity and teamwork inspired.
Irish said this morning, “I’m amazed how well it’s going. We are right on schedule.”
A rolling crew of 40 volunteers spent approximately 5,000 man hours during the month of May.
What was built you ask? 120 individual panels to create the five outer towers that will stand 58 feet tall or close to six stories high. The main tower will be twice as tall.
“That takes a great amount of lumber. And we are going through it faster than toilet paper around here,” Kiwi remarked. Kiwi is heading up the construction crew.
Lumber is the greatest need for the Temple of Transition. Financial donations are encouraged and can be completed through http://www.indiegogo.com/Temple-of-Transition. Indiegogo allows us to access funds throughout the campaign rather than waiting for the campaign to complete as with other online fundraiser endeavors.
If you have lumber to donate, please contact Risky directly risky{at}temple2011{dot}org.
The panels are stacked and racked neatly outside covered in tarps waiting to be transported Home in early August. The weather has been strange for Reno this time of year. Usually bright and sunny, the area is experiencing more rain than usual. Although Hobson Square has a few leaks, it’s a great place to build out of the elements.
What’s next for the build crew? “We already started to build the outer skirting for the towers. The overview is sketched out on the white boards. As you can see, we have many different pieces to measure, cut and nail together. It will take focused and skilled attention to ensure no mistakes so no time or precious lumber is wasted,” explained Kiwi. “We can’t use your Mum’s math.”
All of the panels will be assembled on playa with very little pre-assembly in Reno. A couple of prototypes will be assembled to create a process on the Black Rock Desert, but other than that, everything will be pieced together in August in time for Sunday night’s opening of Burning Man 2011.
