DORAL, Fla. Aca,!" Journeyman iron workers John Becton Jr. and Edgar Alfonso stood on a sliver of metal, five stories in the air above a not-yet-existing section of NW 33rd Street in the late morning of Mar. 6th. A crowd of more than 200 people stood below, waiting to see what they did next.
Receiving the beam from crane operator Eddie Shipman, they gently guided a signature-covered steel I-beam into place, joined it with the rest of the main building and raised their hands in triumph.
With this Aca,!A"topping outAca,!A? ceremony, the headquarters under construction for U.S. Southern Command here reached a new milestone. The ceremony also marked 170,000 hours of work on the complex, which will house 2,883 personnel from U.S. Army Garrison - Miami and USSOUTHCOM. They are scheduled to move in Sept. 2010.
In building construction, topping out, or topping off, is a ceremony held when the last structural beam is hoisted to the top of a building, usually painted white and signed by all the workers involved.
The term may also refer to the overall completion of the building\'s structure. A toast is usually drunk and sometimes the workers are treated to a meal. The roots of this ceremony go back to the times of timber construction.
Aca,!A"A tree or leafy branch is placed on the topmost beam, often with flags and streamers tied to it,Aca,!A? said Dennis W. Newell, Resident Engineer at the Cape/Patrick Resident Office of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Aca,!A"In our case, a palm tree was appropriate,Aca,!A? he said. Aca,!A"There is nothing magical about 100,000 man-hours worked on a project, but any time a project reaches a milestone like this with no lost-time accidents, it is reason to celebrate.Aca,!A?
Keynote speaker for the ceremony, Brig. Gen. David Garza, USSOUTHCOM Chief of Staff, praised the partnership between the military and civilian construction teams, noting that the project is currently 11 days ahead of schedule.
Aca,!A"The 630,425 sq. ft. building is on (and slightly ahead) of schedule, and we anticipate completion on time,Aca,!A? Newell said. Aca,!A"But we have many challenges ahead of us.Aca,!A?
The biggest, according to Newell, is the weather, particularly the tropical "events" that can occur. Aca,!A"We are attempting to get the buildings dried-in and much of the site work completed before the rainy season starts,Aca,!A? he said.
Once inside, weather is less of a limitation, he said. Aca,!A"Our facility is designed to withstand wind forces up to 185 mph, so once the envelope is completed we should see little, if any physical problems with the facility should an event occur.Aca,!A?
Aca,!A"We feel so strongly about safety that the Corps of Engineers has developed safety recognition programs such as CELEBRATE SAFETY, and many private entities have developed similar safety incentive programs,Aca,!A? Newell said.
Aca,!A"We have found that contractors that emphasize safety on their job sites also emphasize quality control, management, and other aspects Aca,!" from which we all reap the benefits,Aca,!A? he said.
No construction takes place without funds, and one doesnAca,!a,,ct have to look hard in the press to see municipal, government or private projects that have been criticized for cost overruns. That isnAca,!a,,ct happening with this project.
Aca,!A"We are on budget and anticipate completing within the funds allotted by Congress,Aca,!A? Newell said.
Not everyone gets to work dozens of feet in the air, walking around on top of a construction site. At a luncheon following the ceremony, Becton Jr., relished his role.
Aca,!A"Everyone should have the opportunity to do this, it feels great,Aca,!A? he said. Aca,!A"ItAca,!a,,cs fantastic to get this far this fast.Aca,!A?
Quick, thorough, quality work is respected among the ironworkers, but Becton Jr. said emphatically that Aca,!A"every day, safety is the number one priority. Aca,!A"I like to go home to see my little girl.Aca,!A? After nine months of work, there have been only two minor accidents.
Alfonso echoed those feelings.
Aca,!A"Anything can happen. You have to have respect for heights and stay aware of your surroundings at all times.Aca,!A?
The rewards are worth the risk. Aca,!A"With this building, you can see your progress every day,Aca,!A? he said with a smile. Aca,!A"I show my kids buildings I have worked on, itAca,!a,,cs a good feeling.Aca,!A?
The tangible benefits to the local economy include use of local contractors and subcontractors, which directly impacts local employment, Newell said. The contract also includes small business subcontracting goals which encourage use of small (and normally local) small business enterprises.
Intangible benefits include purchase of many materials locally, and the positive impacts of the workforce (buying gas, food, and other commodities locally).
Minimizing the impact of construction on the environment is another focus of the construction team. This is codified in LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program is maintained by the U.S. Green Building Counsel.
Points are assigned through design, construction and operation of a facility, and ratings are issued from highest to lowest: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certified.
A significant part of the LEED process is the emphasis on the use of renewable resources and/or recycled materials during the construction. Common materials in this arena are carpet, vinyl tile, wood, steel, etc. Also, the contractor is highly encouraged to minimize waste streams to landfills and to recycle excess construction materials and office waste materials.
Aca,!A"Sustainability means meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs,Aca,!A? Newell said.
Sustainable Construction aims to apply this principle to the construction industry by providing ways of buildings that use less virgin material and less energy, cause less pollution and less waste but still provide the benefits that construction projects have brought us throughout history.
Aca,!A"This is an integral part of the LEED evaluation program, and as you can gather,Aca,!A? Newell said, Aca,!A"this takes a partnership of the designers, constructors, and managers of a facility to make this work. Our goal for the SOUTHCOM facilities is Silver Certifiable, though we are working to officially certify the facilities through USGBC.Aca,!A?
This takes on even more significance with President Obama's signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, said Newell. The Act includes billions of dollars that may be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
For more information on LEED and the U.S. Green Building Council, visit their site at http://www.usgbc.org.
To view more facts about the new headquarters, visit the U.S. Southern Command website at http://www.southcom.mil/appssc/factFiles.php'id=58.
Social Sharing