News Room
The College of San Mateo is Topping Out On A Major Project
June 18th 2009
LPA, Inc., Helps Bring About a Milestone in Higher Education
(San Mateo, Calif.) June 18, 2009 -- The much anticipated Topping Out of San Mateo Community College District's new Student Services Building or Building 10N , takes place with a special ceremony on Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the College of San Mateo, 1700 West Hillsdale Blvd.
Designed by the sustainable design experts at LPA, Inc., the four-story, 143,000-square-foot Student Center will house the College's learning and media center, student services, kitchen, student dining, bookstore, and faculty and administrative offices when completed in early 2011. The new, one-stop Student Center is slated to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Silver Certification and realize PG&E Savings by Design incentives.
The $66 million Student Services Building is part of the College of San Mateo's, CIP2 Design-Build Project which is being constructed by San Francisco-based McCarthy Building Cos. The project includes two new buildings -- the Student Services Building and an 88,000-square-foot Allied Health and Wellness Building with a pool.
The initiative also consists of site work improvements that include infrastructure renovation, and landscaping and hardscaping upgrades of approximately 40 acres of the existing 153 acre campus which have been designed by LPA. The CIP2 projects were funded by $142.5 million in voter-approved Measure A bonds.
CEREMONY LOCATION
College of San Mateo, CIP2 - Job # 6169
1700 West Hillsdale Blvd
San Mateo, CA 94402
Please follow the "BUILDING 10N" route onto campus and park in Lot 19 directly adjacent to B10 site.
June 18, 2009
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
WHAT IS TOPPING OUT
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 term may also refer to the overall completion of the building's structure. A topping out ceremony is usually held to commemorate the event.
While common in England, Germany and Poland, the origins of the ceremony are obscure. Its practice has long been an important component of timber frame building. A tree or leafy branch is placed on the topmost beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it. A toast is usually drunk and sometimes the workmen are treated to a meal. The ceremony has also been common in the United States when a skyscraper is completed. The last girder to be hoisted is painted white and signed by all the workmen involved. The ceremony is akin to the practice of placing a newspaper or coins under the foundation stone of a building.
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