COLUMBIA, S.C. - The School of Medicine Columbia (SOMC) celebrated a time-honored tradition on Wednesday, Dec. 17, with a “topping out” ceremony at the new SOMC facility. The building proudly joins the BullStreet District skyline with the highest steel beam lifted during the event, where construction partners joined university president Michael Almiridis, members of the board of trustees, university leadership and SOMC’s interim dean Dr. Gerald Harmon.

“Today, we lift the highest beam into place, but know this, every beam is important,” University Architect Derek Gruner said at the ceremony. “Soon, these columns and beams will be concealed by brick and stone. This steel and concrete will be unseen after the building is occupied, but they will be the building's backbone, enabling it to stand for the ages. It should be our extraordinary teamwork that we remember as the creator of this building for our citizens, our university, our students, our faculty and our researchers, fostering health and hope for South Carolinians for decades to come.”

It was a day to celebrate for the men and women who have worked on the project since its groundbreaking in February of this year. The crews were able to sign the final beam on their way in to the ceremony, giving each a chance to leave their mark in perpetuity.

“There are a few milestones in the life of a construction project that are major and we on the builder side enjoy celebrating, the topping out of the structure is one of those events,” said David Dewar, project executive for Gilbane Building Company.  “As the name implies, it is the time of the project when the structure reaches its highest point, its pinnacle … the building really takes its shape and starts to show its architectural character.”

Placed on the final beam was an evergreen tree, in recognition of a practice the building profession has observed for over two millennium. Builders across ancient Europe would place a tree or wreaths at the top of their structures to represent their reverence for the resources taken to build it.

As innovation turned from wood towards steel and concrete, the ritual lives on. Dewar added that for some builders, the topping off ceremony “restored the order of nature, that man should not build things to tower above the trees.”

In the wake of the celebration, the work continues as the one-year anniversary of the initial groundbreaking approaches in February. As winter arrives in the capital city, the work turns inward as the heart of the building takes shape. The coming milestones are not as visible to the public eye but are equally important to the many tons of steel and concrete it took to raise the 330,000-square-foot project. Things like duct work, electrical wiring, plumbing and drywall are on the docket as the season changes for the construction team.

“The team has worked long hours and overcome tough conditions through the hot summer,” Dewar said. “The project has a collective group of men and women that continue to work hard toward producing a building that South Carolina will hold as a crown jewel for decades to come. Those dedicated men and women now transition from 100-plus degree days to getting the blood pumping on those sub-freezing early mornings. It is the cycle of our construction industry.”

Students, staff and faculty from the School of Medicine had the opportunity to sign their names on a second beam, which will also be permanently installed in the building.

For more information on the project, visit the School of Medicine Columbia’s website.

About The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia
The University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia is led by its mission to ‘serve the people of South Carolina and beyond through exemplary biomedical education, transformative research and compassionate care for all.’ From its first class of just 24 medical students in 1977, the school has grown to include six thriving programs and a current enrollment of over 750 future health care and research professionals. The School of Medicine Columbia is working to address the health care needs of our state, nation and beyond through educational opportunities in biomedical sciences, counseling and rehabilitation, medicine, genetic counseling, nurse anesthesia and physician assistant programs. Hands-on learning, exceptional clinical partners, innovative curriculum and cutting-edge technology prepare our learners to be skilled and compassionate professionals in communities near and far.