We built the front wall in three sections, each three stories tall.  We off-set two of the sections with a perpendicular shear wall for integrity when considering all of the various types of forces that would place a load on the structure.

In addition to placing the wall on fiber-reinforced footings, we also carved into the rock to add extra support for the main beams. As with most aspects of our project, we over-built.  Several times, the building inspector joked about us engineering the place to hold up the entire hill.  Although this kind of over-building can add too much weight to skyscrapers, building stout is always a good idea with three stories or less.

After building all of the beams, posts and wall sections, we set the glass in place, completing the façade in December of 2004.