An assortment of people from the union, college and contractors turned out in the rain this afternoon for the topping out ceremony of the new Southside building.
The Rector, Sir Richard Sykes, praised the construction methods used in the project before placing a sprig of a yew tree into the final concrete section at the top of the building. The yew is said to bring good fortune to the building and its inhabitants.
Most of Southside has been fabricated off-site, with pieces delivered in a just-in-time fashion. All of the toilet and shower rooms came pre-decorated and fitted and were simply dropped into place. The use of prefabricated techniques has been critical to keeping noise down on site and staying on target for completion.
The project has been very safe, with no accidents which needing reporting during 115,000 hours of construction. However, during the initial works a freak accident saw a small crane fall over, which then had to be rescued. An investigation is ongoing, however no-one was hurt and the crane fell within the confines of the site.
Southside looks set to open on time and on budget, with the french limestone prefabricated facade currently being installed.
The new building is several storeys lower than the old, however has more rooms due to better use of space. Construction on the Eastside project, to replace Linstead, is expected to start almost as soon as Southside is open.
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