Lift from HM to light rail making good progress

Not much to report on the general appearance of the building from the outside. Most of it is still covered in scaffolding, although you can see more of the external 'skin' has been completed. One day the covers will come off for a dramatic impact. No doubt there's a lot of progress inside, with the mid-year completion expected.

More significant is the new lift well installed on the western side of the building which will link the ground level of HM with the light rail platform. It has three levels, including a mid-level stop where the shop/cafe will be. At this stage, it's not as pretty as in the original drawings, which suggested it might be glass with louvres, rather than concrete. Those with apartments facing west will hope it is covered in attractive cladding.

Of course, this will also be the way to the fish markets, the foreshore and the Bays Precinct.

You can also see where the pavers will be laid along the rock wall to lead from the lift to the train platform, and I guess there will be a fence with the school on the other side.

The cliff has also been cut where the steps up to HM will go, and the rest of the paving to the rail platform. The steps will not be as high as expected from the original drawings. The rock cliff looks attractive, hopefully it will be retained in its natural form.

Anyway, good to see the public works underway as they have involved a lot of negotiation with council and rail authorities over who was responsible for what.