House of Worship for South America – construction progress
26 November 2013
4 Qwal 170 B.E.
To all believers in the United Kingdom
Dearly loved Friends,
We have been asked by the National Spiritual Assembly to share with you the message below and attached, which was received from the Universal House of Justice and concerns the progress of the construction of the House of Worship in Chile.
With loving Baha’i greetings,
Department of the Secretariat
National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United Kingdom
26 November 2013
To all National Spiritual Assemblies
Dear Baha’i Friends,
We are delighted to share news of the progress on the construction of the continental House of Worship for South America rising in the foothills of the Andes in Chile. With the completion of the complex three-storey structure and underground service tunnel, for which more than 2,000 cubic metres of concrete and 190 tonnes of reinforced steel were required and which itself marked the passing of a significant milestone, the next major phase has now opened: the erection of the Temple’s distinctive superstructure. Its precisely designed components–including the multitude of connecting steel parts forming the structural frame to be anchored into the mezzanine floor, the exterior envelope made of cast-glass pieces to be mounted on some 3,200 aluminium frames, and the over 8,000 robotically milled flat and curved panels of translucent stone that are to clad the Temple’s interior–are being fashioned in several facilities and shipped in successive waves to Chile for assembly and installation by a small team of engineers now working on-site together with local contractors, staff, and volunteers. Discernible on the horizon from the city of Santiago is the structure’s central scaffolding tower, upon which has been hoisted into prominent position the steel oculus ring that will unite eighteen arched tubular columns at the uppermost point of the edifice–this in anticipation of the day when beneath it, drawing the eye of every visitor gathered for worship, will appear the familiar contours of the Greatest Name.
The continued prayers and outpouring of financial contributions from friends everywhere labouring in service to the Cause will undoubtedly ensure the sustained momentum of this collective enterprise.
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]
Click here to download a PDF of this message
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