Getting There.

Sketch of the main entrance elevation. Notice the extensive use of sun shading elements.

The above picture shows the south facade structure completed up to first floor. I hope to have the main roof completed by the middle of August, yes 2008.

This picture was taken on Sunday the 15th when side shuttering had been removed. The bridge in the fore ground connects the first floor to the upper plateau. The "hole in the roof" to the left will be the courtyard and that to the right will let in sun light to the herb garden overlooked by the kitchen

Concrete is started to be poured at about 9.15 pm

Shuttering is being completed as the ready mix arrives.

Monsoon is round the corner and we want to complete the second half of the first floor slab before the down pour to enable us to carry out all masonry work in the next two months. This was programmed to be poured on Wednesday the 11th June 2008.On Monday, 9th this seemed improbable as one of the flying beams which is vital to the design of the main entrance elavation had not been shuttered. Not through his fault but it was missing on the consulting engineer's drawing. The electrical contractor was not quite ready either. We decided to delay the work by two days. The main contractor and his chief tecnicians are Hindu, the site foreman is Muslim and the Electrical contractor Christian. So prayers were offered to the almighty by three different routes to delay the rains until after Saturday the 14th June. My friends crossed their fingers. This is a very religious country. On K S Road where I live there are four places of Christian worship: The Salvation Army, Pentecostal Mission, South Kerala Diocese Church and Zion Assembly. There is also Christunilayam Day Centre and the beginnings of a Hindu temple. Not far away is an Islamic mosque, all within about a mile.

The first ready mix load arrived on site at 8.15 pm. It was a moon lit night. Not a cloud in the sky.

The site was lit using three generators as the mains supply cannot be relied upon. The last bits of shuttering was being completed and electrical conduits were being fixed even as the readymix was on site. At about 9.15 concrete started to be poured.