Happy Holidays to All and Wishes of a Peaceful New Year
The holiday season tends to bring about joyful reflection on the year, spiritual celebrations and with the coming of the New Year, thoughts about what lays ahead. The Visitor Center Blog has been tracking what we believe is a special project in the making. We have been sharing with you each week a look into the challenges, successes and progress of the project. We have been sharing the process of achieving LEED Gold certification. We have progressed from a Vision with the Chickasaw Nation to being under construction and you have met a number of players along the way. This is the trail we have traveled.
Visitor Center Past
The story begins with the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands to Indian Territory which over time became Oklahoma. The Chickasaw tribe was one of those removed from their lands and became known as one of the 5 civilized tribes that were relocated to Indian Territory and is now FSB’s Client that is building the Chickasaw Visitor Center. The Chickasaw Nation has grown to be a progressive, forward thinking tribe that is focused on enhancing the life of the Chickasaw people and being a great partner with the State of Oklahoma and its communities.
The project began with Visioning meetings with the Chickasaws and progressed into the exploration of concepts, the formal process of design and the development of construction drawings and specifications.
Visitor Center Present
The present is filled with the people involved in the project and activities at the Visitor Center construction site. The people and places have been seen in the posts titled Getting to Know the Players and Local Beta.
Construction at the site began with a groundbreaking ceremony and has been steadily progressing with earthwork, site drainage, footings, and vertical concrete walls.
Visitor Center Future
Glimpses of what is to come.
Local Beta: I will be seeking additional local Beta to share with you. There are a number of other businesses of interest as well as meeting more local residents.
More Players: the team has continued to grow and now includes members from the client, architects and engineers, contractor and subcontractors. You will continue to meet additional players as we move forward.
Construction Activity: the activity at the site will be affected by the winter weather. Oklahoma, however, has an interesting climate and we can have sunny 60 degree days in January and February as well as snow, ice storms and temperatures in the teens.
While activity on the site may be slowed, there will be activity away from the site that is churning to prepare for delivery of materials and products to the project. The following activities are being scheduled; steel fabrication, glass and framing systems, plumbing fixtures, metal roofing, gray water system components, mechanical equipment, power and lighting devices and the gambit of interior materials and finishes.
The near future will be filled with more concrete forming and pouring, the arrival of steel and its erection and the beginnings of the building envelope. In the months ahead, the level of construction activity and the number of trades and subcontractors at the site will continue to increase creating an amazing pace of the building coming together.
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Design Matters 