Construction Team Celebrates "Topping-Out" of the General Academic Building No. 1 at UMass Boston
On April 30, 2014, MA Senate President Therese Murray, UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley, UMass Building Authority Chairman Phil Johnston and interim Executive Director Patricia Filippone joined Gilbane Building Company, Wilson Architects and Local 7 ironworkers to celebrate raising the final steel beam into place at General Academic Building (GAB) No. 1, the newest classroom building on the Columbia Point campus.
"The new building will allow our students to reach new heights of creativity, exploration, collaboration, and discovery," Motley told a large crowd gathered on the Campus Center terrace. "Next year, it'll be the launching point for a lot of dreams."
Gilbane broke ground on GAB No. 1 in February 2013 and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015. The four-story, 190,000 sf building is set to open in fall 2015 as part of Umass Boston's 25-year master plan. The $113 million GAB No. 1 will feature nearly 2,000 seats of general-purpose classrooms, along with teaching laboratories, art and performance studios, a theater, and a 150-seat recital hall.
"Sustainable site development, energy efficient building design and materials, renewable energy sources and technologies, and the use of recyclable and locally available materials are all construction priorities going forward as is our unwavering commitment to safety. The on-site team has worked more than 75,000 hours safely to date and we are committed to continuing that trend," said Ryan Hutchins, senior vice president at Gilbane.
The beam raising, originally scheduled to follow the April 30 ceremony, was postponed until May 2 due to rain.
Check out the Web Cam at UMass Boston GAB.
Local 46 Tops Out at Memorial Medical Center
O'Shea Builders hosted a 'Topping Out' ceremony on March 7, 2014 at the construction site of the new Patient Care Tower at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois. Topping out is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed at the top of a building.