We’re excited to share the latest progress on our new school building—and the first thing to say is that since spring break and our last update, things have been moving impressively fast. It’s all starting to feel very real!
Here’s what’s been happening:
- The walls and ceilings have been painted. We’re still waiting to see The École’s signature colors appear, but that should happen any day now.
- The (very!) beautiful light fixtures are installed.
- The floors have been waxed.
- The stairs are complete and now in use between each floor.
- Millwork is finished in key spaces like the library, art room, kitchen, and several common areas.
With Floors 2 and 3 nearly complete, the focus has shifted to Floor 1—where the gym and the lobby are located. There’s a lot of construction happening there right now, including sheetrocking, electrical work, and lighting installation. Fortunately, this floor is only about a third the size of the two others, so work is progressing pretty quickly.
We encountered our first minor setback with the storefront: it was delivered on time but arrived damaged. Nothing too concerning, though, and our contractors are already working around it, with no significant impact on the overall schedule.
We have been busy finalizing room numbers and creating all the mandatory signage that must be in place ahead of the early June inspection by the Department of Buildings to obtain our Certificate of Occupancy.
Speaking of inspections, the Fire Department is expected to conduct theirs by the end of May. We’ve already held one mock inspection and are planning another before the real thing.
As the building comes together, we’re also turning our attention to the logistics of our big move—and everything that needs to happen to be ready for the start of school in September. It’s going to be a very busy summer for our Facilities team (shout out to Jan and Raul!)