Ceremony to celebrate engineering facility construction milestone
May 19, 2014
907-474-7902
5/19/14
The University of Alaska Fairbanks will host a topping out ceremony to celebrate the placement of the last piece of structural steel on the new engineering facility Thursday, May 22 at 2 p.m. between the Duckering Building and Signers’ Hall.
Tours of the building site will follow the ceremony, which will include legislators and university officials.
Topping out is a builders’ rite held when the last beam is placed on a structure. It can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian tradition of placing a tree atop a new building. Today, a tree or leafy branch is placed on the topmost wood or iron beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Journalists who attend should wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, as the tour will include walking through the building site.
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