Topping Out Ceremony | December 10, 2021
so, what's with the tree??
the ceremony Today
project overview
Phoenix Children’s Southwest Campus expansion project includes a 35,000 sf freestanding emergency department and 71,250 sf three-story multi-specialty clinic. The emergency department will provide 24/7 emergency care with 40 treatment rooms – including six fast-track beds. The multi-specialty clinic will include space for: allergy/immunology, cardiology, dermatology, developmental peds, endocrinology, fetal development GI, general surgery, genetics, hand, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, neuropsychology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pain management, plastic surgery, psychiatry, psychology, pulmonology, rheumatology, rehab therapy including speech therapy, sports medicine, and urology.
Whatever the slant, history indicates the tree symbolizes positive things. Today, the ceremony represents a celebration of a so-far safe construction site, an expression of hope for the secure completion of the structure, and a kind of secular blessing for the building and its future inhabitants. At the topping out milestone a great deal of labor may lie ahead. But in putting that last beam in place, the ceremony announces the team’s pride in the construction progress and accomplishments to date.
The picture to the right gives a sense of the importance of the ceremony to this community in Vienna, Austria circa 1900.
This photo was taken in the late 1960s at the topping out of the John Hancock Tower in Chicago, IL
Phoenix Children's Southwest Campus Expansion
The tree is the key symbol. Throughout history the tree has conveyed different meanings to different people. In 8th-century Scandinavia sheathes of grain were actually the plant material of choice – an offering to Odin’s horse Slepnir to bestow good luck to the inhabitants. As topping-out ceremonies spread throughout northern Europe, trees were a natural evolution. In cultures closely tuned to the natural environment, there was a pleasing visual analogy between the growth of a tree and the raising of a building. Humility was conjured by the (temporary) elevation of a tree above the top of a man-made structure. The custom also has Native American influence where the belief that no structure should be taller than a tree exists. Therefore, buildings were topped off with an evergreen to appease the forest spirits.
Topping out ceremonies mark a major milestone for a construction project – the placement of the last steel beam for the structure of the building. This milestone is commemorated by painting the beam white and having the design and construction project team, along with other dignitaries sign the beam for posterity. The beam is typically adorned with a small tree. This custom celebrates the construction process and is often viewed as the first introduction of the building to the public. Modern ceremonies draw on traditions that date back over 1,200 years.
the custom
the tree
