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Topping Off Steel Ceremony to Celebrate Final Steel Beam at CBA Building Site

The final steel beam is nearly in place as the new five-story College of Business Administration building reveals itself on the corner of 14th and Vine streets. The milestone will be marked with the Topping Off Steel Ceremony on Friday, April 15 at 4:10 p.m., completing a major phase of the construction process.
 
Plowman standing in future office location
Plowman standing in future office location
A topping off event is a building construction tradition that occurs when the last beam is placed atop a structure. The event signals the completion of a major phase in the construction process.

“By putting in place the final beam of our new College of Business Administration, we are not only changing the physical landscape of UNL but also continuing our momentum of building a world-class business college,” said Donde Plowman, James Jr. and Susan Stuart Dean of the College of Business Administration. “This building is built by alumni for future alumni – no state funds are used – and everyone involved should be proud of this milestone and this building.”
 
The event includes remarks from Plowman, Chancellor Harvey Perlman, and Howard Hawks, University of Nebraska Regent and co-founder and senior adviser of Tenaska Capital Management.
 
Dignitaries, many of which will attend the CBA Advisory Board Awards Luncheon earlier in the day, will sign the last steel girder prior to the program.
 
After the formal program, Hausmann Construction will raise the final steel beam in place. Refreshments will be served. The public may attend the ceremony by sending an RSVP to Laura Niles at lniles2@unl.edu.
 
Grand staircase in new CBA building
Grand staircase in new CBA building
Rik Barrera, assistant dean and chief operating officer at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln College of Business Administration, said building construction has progressed as planned.
 
“Hausmann has done a fantastic job of executing the plans laid out by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture of Omaha,” said Barrera. “We had some terrible weather at times, but if you look at the site now, it’s easy to see they haven’t missed a beat. That’s why this ceremony is so special.”
 
The $84 million, 240,000-square-foot CBA building is the largest academic building project in recent history at UNL. The new facility will open prior to the fall 2017 semester. 
Published: April 7, 2016