Central Square celebrates 'Topping out'

UK Government Hub, Central Square milestone celebrated with ‘topping out’ ceremony.

The new UK Government Hub building in Central Square project reached a major milestone this week, when the final piece of the 12-storey structure was put into place. The achievement was marked by a rooftop ‘topping out’ ceremony, a centuries old ritual celebrating the highest point of building work being completed.

The ceremony at the top of the building was preceded by traditional bagpipe music, and an evergreen bough was attached to the scaffolding by the building and civil engineering company delivering the construction project, Sir Robert McAlpine. The CEO of Rightacres, Paul McCarthy, thanked the team involved in the design and construction of the building for their efforts in achieving this milestone on programme.

Paul McCarthy of Rightacres said:

“The topping out of the HMRC building not only marks a major milestone for the building but also marks the fifth anniversary of the Central Square concept being given the go-ahead. It was September 2013 when Cardiff Council Cabinet voted in favour of the project and since then over one million square feet of office space has been built and a new gateway to Wales’s capital city created. We are very lucky to have an incredibly committed design & construction team that has made the Central Square vision a reality.”

Sarah Pearson Regional Implementation Lead for HMRC, the major occupier, said:

“Celebrating this important milestone is another step towards creating the UK Government Hub in Cardiff, the new home for HMRC’s Regional Centre in Wales. We are creating a modern, collaborative workspace for our employees and, when completed, the Central Square development will be a great place to work.”

Glynne Jones, Director of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales said:

“The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is delighted to be part of the new UK Government Hub development at the heart of Cardiff’s city centre. Bringing several UK Government departments together in one state-of-the-art facility will lead to much greater collaboration and will send a clear message that we are visible, accessible and helping to improve people’s lives in Wales.”

Hector McAlpine, Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. said:

“Construction of the 12 storey office building commenced in Autumn 2017 and is on schedule to be completed late 2019. This will coincide with the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Sir Robert McAlpine who has been delivering projects in Wales for over 100 years.

“Sir Robert McAlpine has endeavoured to appoint local contractors and suppliers to undertake the works on site. This has paid dividends in ensuring the availability of labour and materials to undertake the works and meet the construction programme.

“One of the main challenges has been the logistics of working in a congested location in close proximity to the Principality Stadium which has hosted a number of major events during the work. The site team has worked closely with the Stadium and Cardiff CC to ensure the security and safety of the spectators.”