Published: 27 July 2017
The construction milestone was marked today with a special “topping out” ceremony on the 14th floor, the highest level of the building.
“Topping out” is an international tradition in the construction sector which celebrates a new building reaching its final height by placing a tree on the uppermost level.
WorkSafe Chief Executive Clare Amies and Chairman Paul Barker attended the ceremony, along with Geelong MP Christine Couzens and senior representatives from developer Quintessential Equity and principal contractor Built. Contractors and Built employees also attended.
The $120 million project is on schedule for completion before the end of June next year.
WorkSafe’s new head office will be Geelong’s tallest building. All windows are expected to be fitted by the end of August while the site crane, which has been a dominant landmark over the Geelong CBD since construction began, is expected to be dismantled in September.
Fitout of the building is due to begin before the end of the year, adding an additional 50 workers to the current 200 on site. More than 50 per cent of the total construction workforce of 549 has come from the Geelong region.
WorkSafe Chief Executive Clare Amies said it was inspiring to watch the development and construction of the building.
“The progress made on this project has been fantastic,” Ms Amies said. “Today’s topping out ceremony is a significant milestone for WorkSafe as it means we are another step closer to joining the Geelong community.”
Already 150 head office staff are working in interim office accommodation in Geelong, and Ms Amies said plans to relocate the remaining 550 staff to its new headquarters at the end of June 2018 were also on track.
“Once this building is completed, it will provide a stunning working environment for our employees,” she said.
The Chief Operating Officer of building owner Quintessential Equity, Russell Bullen, said the construction team should be proud of its efforts.
“The new WorkSafe Victoria headquarters will be at the forefront of global best practice when it comes to sustainability, and it’s being built by a workforce that is predominantly made up of Geelong locals,” Mr Bullen said.
“This success of the project to date has been the result of great collaboration between Quintessential Equity and WorkSafe. The entire construction team is doing a fantastic job, and should be very proud of today’s milestone and in their role in creating such a landmark building.”
High quality drone vision of WorkSafe’s new head office is available for TV and online purposes. For details, contact media adviser Kate Murphy on 0481 906 487.