Two iron workers raise the first 1300 pound steel beam into place where it will get welded to the existing beams in the ceiling. These new beams will add strength and stability to the new partition wall that is being added to the Imaging Lab. The folding partition wall will separate Studio 1 from Studio 2 but can be opened to create one large studio space.

The second of three 1300 pound steel beams is moved into place.

Iron workers slowly raise the last 1300 pound steel beam into place to weld it.

The third 1300 pound steel beam is carefully being put in place around an existing water pipe.

Carpenters are installing the metal double door frame between Studio 2 and the office area space.

Insulation has been placed inside the frame of the east wall of Studio 1.

Carpenters are up in a scissor lift installing fire retardant plywood in the area of the cove wall. They will install the plywood 19′ high- the total height of the cove.

Mark placed on the plywood stating that it has been safeguarded as fire retardant treated wood.

The durock layer in Studio 1 has been removed so that the plane of the wall is even. The cove wall can now be installed and the wall will be given a new layer of sheetrock.

This is a closeup of the layers of durock. Durock, also known as cement board, is a mixture of crushed stone/gravel and Portland cement (the most common cement) poured between 2 pieces of polymer coated fiberglass mesh. It is very similar to sheetrock but is heavier due to the fact that it has cement in the middle instead of gypsum.

All of the previous doors and windows in the hallway that lead to the rooms that would be the Imaging Lab were sealed with sheetrock and taped.

The west wall of Studio 2 has two different planes. The top have of the wall was indented about an inch so strips of plywood were screwed to the wall to make the wall the same thickness as the lower half. The entire wall was then covered with plywood. This plywood will eventually be covered with sheetrock. In the future, large paintings will be hung from this wall and photographed. The plywood will help anchor the screws that will hold up the paintings.

Now that the easel wall in Studio 2 is covered in plywood, it gets a layer of sheetrock that will be painted white which will be used as a background when photographing objects on the easel.

Plywood blocking is used in the wall where a display screen is going to be placed in the central office area. This will allow the arm that will hold the display screen to be mounted to the wall.

Floor leveling compound has been poured over the quartz epoxy to level out the floor in Studio 3.