Update on Matrimandir – December '04
Need for Funds to Complete the Structure
As most design and technical questions have been solved, it
is now possible to complete all structures of Matrimandir and
make them usable sometime early 2006. Considering the state of
studies, it is also possible to complete everything on the future
Oval Island , (infrastructure, pathways and Gardens), in 2007.
But these targets will only be met if all regular donors keep
up with their contribution, or better increase, and if new donors
are found and contribute very substantially.
We have clearly entered the completion stages and NOW IS THE
TIME for all those who feel a connection with Matrimandir to
join hands and together work towards the completion.
We are launching an appeal to all Aurovilians and friends to
contribute generously and regularly.
APPEAL FOR FUNDS AND FUND RAISING BY ALL AUROVILIANS
FOR MATRIMANDIR : All Aurovilians are invited to participate
in this final push to finish the structure. Please donate generously
by one time donations or regular contributions through the
Financial Service account of Matrimandir no. 2090
Foreign Currency or Indian Rupees donations
can be made by cheque or DD favouring “Matrimandir” and given
at Matrimandir office.
Tentative time schedule for
the completion of all structures on the future MM Island
:
We share here with you our objectives, but please remember that
experience has often shown how futile it can be to state any
completion date, even for specific areas of work.
- Inner Chamber: Will be
closed for modifications sometime after March 1 st 2005 for
3 months
- Inside Matrimandir: Should be completed
early 2006 – provided
everything goes as planned.
- Top of MM's roof: Works
there (new heliostat, a new crane invisible when folded,
etc.) should start in January 2005 and be complete some months
later.
- Matrimandir's outer face:
Is highly unlikely to be complete in the first half of
2006, but it is still very difficult to know how much time
this work will really take (see below).
- North entrance with all
its features: Early 2006.
- Area below Matrimandir: Lotus pond & surrounding
area and MM's outer face: Late 2005.
- Pathways below Matrimandir
and within 1 st circular Pathway : Mid 2005.
- Large petals and their Meditation
Rooms : 4 shall be complete and usable in February 2005 – before
the closing of the Inner Chamber. (At first only 2 will be
air-conditioned.) Others will be open when complete. All
12 should be complete and usable in the second half of 2005.
- Last small petal (Perfection):
Construction started last month and will take a few months.
- Amphitheatre: Completed in August
2004 – except
for its underground spaces.
Work in the gardens:
Though our priority is now to complete the main structures,
we are also getting ready to take up other works (infrastructure,
pathways, gardens) on the future Oval Island .
The pathways surrounding the garden of Bliss are now complete
and we have just started marking the pathways and levelling the
Garden of Unity (by the banyan tree).
Studies for the infrastructure and for the gardens are also
going on simultaneously.
Renewal of the water proofing membrane covering Matrimandir.
Matrimandir's entire water proofing membrane
( Kemperol) needs
to be renewed. As reported earlier, engineers from Kemper
System , who had supplied the material, found that the primer
that was used has decomposed and is thus not bonding anymore Kemperol and
masonry structure. Kemper acknowledged that they had
wrongly advised to use this particular primer and thus agreed
to cover all repair works under their 15-year guarantee. Work
started late March 2004; it implies removing all the disks, removing
the non-sticking Kemperol , sandblasting the masonry
structure, applying several coats of different stuff (epoxy primer,
then Kemperol and then paint), and putting all the
disks back. Kemperol should only be applied when the
weather is neither too hot, nor too humid. This ongoing work
requires a lot of scaffolding movements. Hopefully this problem
won't postpone the completion of the inside of Matrimandir.
The Kemperol has now been
renewed in the lower part of the structure and we are now renewing
it by quarter, starting with the entire NE quadrant and will
then rotate anti-clockwise (NW, SW & SE). At the same time,
we are putting back the disks which had been removed from the
SE quadrant and putting disks which were never installed, starting
from below Matrimandir.
The Matrimandir Team
M A T R I M A N D I R - A U R O V I L L E 6 0 5 1 0 1 -
T A M I L N A D U - I N D I A
Tel. (91) (0413) 262-2268 (sectt); 262-2228 (finance); 262-2153
(workshop); 262-2373 (info). FAX: (91) (0413) 262-2053;
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