The Pyramid Project

Phase 2

Phase 2 Objective: “Pyramid Business Running"
By May 2008 (2 Months)

“Phase 2 Objectives Discussed"

·        Phase 2 will ensure that the restaurant is running and there are five guest rooms for hire in the 6^th level (“Casa de Julio”). The restaurant will initially be running out of the 7^th level (“Meditation Room”) altho food will be cooked in the “Casa de Julio” kitchen

·        By suspending a health food restaurant 16 meters up in the fresh air with spectacular views of Iquitos and the rivers around, the project’s intension of promoting the healthy life can begin to be felt

·        The restaurant will supply natural food catering for the strictest raw foodest and Vegans as well as people just looking for healthier options and a nice fish dish. No soda drinks, dairy products or meat will be served. There is also a no smoking and no alcohol policy on the pyramid. Even if these policies lower the demand there will be no compromise on this, it will be interesting to see what happens.

·        Quality live Peruvian music will be sponsored (e.g. Pan Pipes - Harps). Artisan will be for sale and an area for river swimming will be provided

·        The five guests will spend time in the pyramid and will be taken to local tourist attractions including trips into the jungle

·        The juice bar will also be running. Initially there will be a minimum of 9 full-time employees; Guest Host & Presenter, Tourist Guide, Restaurant Manager, Chef, Juice Bar Attendant, 2 Waitresses, Boatman, Room Cleaner

·        The restaurant food will be very reasonably priced encouraging the families of Iquitos to eat in the restaurant. It is hoped that some fish might be caught in the river by the side of the pyramid and in time it is hoped that the restaurant can grow its own food. Without doubt certain food will have to be imported from Lima or abroad; e.g. sugar free Soya milk or rice milk is impossible to find in Iquitos!

·        As more families and tourists visit the pyramid it is hoped that an interest is generated that will further promote the pyramid. It is an objective to make the restaurant popular and busy. It is hoped that over 50 people a day will eat there along with the pyramid staff and hotel guests

·        The restaurant will be run on a non profit making budget making the food as cheap as possible however the restaurant will also need to feed all employees of the pyramid for free and cover the pyramid’s running costs. The money raised from hiring out the five guest rooms will pay for the next phase. From here on the project pays for itself as the income slowly exponentiates

"Phase 2 Task Summary"
(Excluding Costs) 

"Phase 2 Task Details"

2.1            Leaves

·        Leaves to be added on the Meditation Room and Casa de Julio as per drawings. This will provide immediate rain protection to work commencing below

2.2          Pentagram Staircase

·        The pentagram stairwell framework will already be completed with the zigzag beams that hold the steps in place. This was task 1.3

·        The steps will be added with temporary balcony gates fencing off the non exiting levels. Each step is supported on the outside edge and the other edge is supported by a hidden bracket of iron underneath. This gives a minimalist appearance of floating steps which for some people will provide a challenge to overcome their vertigo

·        The staircase is safe with 2 balconies either side made of 3” diameter Remocaspi. The balcony consists of 3 horizontal woods – these are; the lower wood, the rail at 88.8cm high (H) and in between the two the central support. This central support is 54.9cm high (H1) – the Fibonacci Golden Ratio was used here (H x 0.618 = H1). Diagonal woods in the lower gap fill in this space with what looks like little pyramids. Remarkably the angles of the pyramids are the same as the Pyramid building itself

·        Initially customers will have to use the temporary steps in the shelter to get up the first 2 floors. Later in Phase 5.4 the Western Stairwell is added

2.3         Floors

·        Meditation Room and Casa de Julio floors of Violetta and Anacaspi to be laid in the pattern of spider webs

·        Meditation Room Balcony to be added to protect people from falling into the stairwell

·        Note: there are no walls in the Meditation Room in this phase

2.4          Julio External Walls & Doors

·        Create external walls, windows and doors

·        The external walls, as on all levels, are made from 3” Remocaspi trunks. These are nailed to horizontal batons such that the trunks stand vertically. After this a thin layer of cement is pushed into the cracks in between the trunks such that this “cement wall” is around 1” thick. The bark of the Remocaspi is stripped

·        All ‘public’ external doors on the pyramid have springs to keep them closed and Mosquitoes outside. External doors connected to private rooms do not have springs but have inside locks

2.5          Julio Internal Walls & Doors

·        Create North-East bedroom in what will become the living room, East room, South-East room, South room and North-West room

·        5 rooms are available for hire accommodating 5-10 people. When bookings are full live-in staff will have to find other places to sleep, the critical priority now is on maximising bookings. Even the future pyramid office is being used as a bedroom and restaurant administration has to use the restaurant area. The South room (future workshop) is made into a small living room for the guests

2.6          Casa de Julio Set-up

·        The two Western bathrooms will be built (Initially the South-Western one will be outside of the adjacent bedroom). These will serve restaurant clients and the hotel guests

·        A sewage pipe will run around the sides of each floor hidden in the leaves area. On each side it will be angled to lose height and collect in the North-East corner. A diagonal sewage pipe follows the North-East corner down to the Platform where it is then collected in the underwater, septic tank

·        Kitchen and Restaurant set-up. This will later become the kitchen in Casa de Julio and so is a permanent feature

·        Water supply from rain water plumbed altho water will probably have to be brought in as well

·        Fire area added plus fire hydrants and smoke detectors

·        Cupboards and worktops added. Plates, cutlery, cooking utensils stocked

·        Tables and chairs added

·        Paintings displayed that are for sale will brighten the place up

·        Live music brought into play