Construction Underway for the LDS Temple in Accra, Ghana, Africa

BDL Mill is constructing the cabinetry and millwork for this beautiful temple. The temple is about 17,000 square feet in size. Accra is the capital of Ghana and is located on the coast in the Gulf of Guinea. The people in Ghana enjoy a tropical climate with the temperature ranging between 78 and 84 degrees year long. Because of it's coastal location the city has a high degree of humidity.

BDL Mill was met with an interesting challenge in the building and designing of these cabinets and millwork. It is necessary for the wood to be very bug resistant as well as water resistant. We had to experiment and closely examine many different wood types in order to choose the ones that would be most able to meet these unique requirements for construction. The architects, contractors, and mill finally agreed on makore' hardwood and quarter blocked mottle makore' veneer. This wood is used for the trim and paneling applications as well as for the cabinets themselves. Special MDF was manufactured for bug resistance also. It was used in the basic construction of the cabinetry and is used for the paint grade applications.

BDL Mill's Jerry Tennysen needed to address some interesting logistical challenges as Project Manager. Product needed to arrive on time and in excellent condition. To accomplish this he needed to allow for 6 weeks for shipping and 8 weeks to clear customs. We are proud to say that 7 containers have arrived on time and in excellent condition. The materials are being stored in an adjacent building in order to acclimate to the humid conditions there in Ghana. The temple itself will be air-conditioned prior to completion so that the wood can acclimate inside it for an additional 3 weeks prior to installation. Installation on this project will begin on April 22 and should be completed by July.

The woodwork and cabinetry for the Ghana LDS Temple has provided us at BDL Mill another opportunity to challenge ourselves and succeed. We have enjoyed this project and look forward to seeing the temple completed and dedicated in January 2004.