Ward McAllister is often heard saying that his favourite moment in a development project is when the crane goes up and his second favourite is when the crane comes down, and with good reason! The crane coming down is a sign that the building is almost complete. But before the crane is taken down, it is used to haul the last bucket of concrete to “Top Off” the building. And THAT is reason for us to celebrate with a Topping Off Ceremony!!
Wikipedia says that in building construction, topping out or topping off is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building. The history of “Topping Off” goes back a long way. It is considered to be similar to ship naming and launching ceremonies and was perhaps done to placate the gods and to shield the building from harm. The practice of “topping out” a new building can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious practice of placing a tree on the top of a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits of their ancestors that had been displaced. The practice migrated to England with Scandinavian invaders and took root there. Years later, It has evolved into more of a formal ceremony than a religious one. And for us at Ledmac, it is a great excuse to thank everyone who contributed to the building with a good old- fashioned pig roast!
On July 15th, 2011, Ledingham McAllister, together with Marcon Construction, celebrated the topping off of Reflections in Burnaby with all of the hardworking men and women who contributed to achieving this important landmark in construction. We were honoured to be joined by Mayor Corrigan of the City of Burnaby and Council members Colleen Jordan and Paul McDonnell. Their support over the years has helped make Reflections, and all our communities in Burnaby such wonderful places to live.
We started the day by loading everyone into the freight elevator and riding to the top of the tower. If you’ve never been in a construction lift before, trust me, it’s just like a ride at Playland – not for the faint of heart! The sky was scattered with clouds but you could still take in the 360 degree views with awe. (Soon, our homeowners will be enjoying these views in their finished homes)! While we waited for the last bucket of cement to be poured on the top of the tower, our feast was being prepared on the ground. And little did we know at the time, but a handful of guys at Marcon had been working since 5am on it! And what a feast it was. The line-up for lunch was a mile long as Ward McAllister shook hands and thanked every person who had worked on the building. Words of recognition were given by Ledingham McAllister President and CEO Ward McAllister and Marcon Construction President Marco Paolella in praise of the Site Superintendent, Mike Meneghello and his crew.
A great day was had by all! Thank you to Mike, Kevin and Brian from Marcon for roasting the pig and thank you to Ward and Marco for putting on such a great party!!
We’ll see you at the next one!
