20 Sep Topping Out at The Box

Last week, the team responsible for The Box, Plymouth celebrated the structural completion of the building at a Topping Out Ceremony on site.

As part of the ceremony, attendees signed a large piece of steel, which was hoisted up to the top of the new extension.

The event marked an important milestone for the development of this iconic building, which is only 18 months away from opening to the public as part of Plymouth’s Mayflower 400 commemorations.

The Box is transforming the former City Museum and Art Gallery, Central Library and St Luke’s Church buildings into a vibrant new cultural and heritage centre. It will provide a new home for the city’s most fascinating and vast historic collections, making them more accessible to everyone.

Plymouth City Council Leader, Tudor Evans said: “Plymouth’s on a real cultural journey and The Box is a major part of this. It’s a fantastic thing that we should all be proud of – in 2020 it’s going to be the biggest attraction of its kind opening in the UK! Loads of people are working really hard on it so today was a moment for us to celebrate that. We’ve reached the highest point of the building and it’s really exciting.”

Progress has been made on and offsite, with the concrete frame, cladding and rendering works now completed. Behind the scenes, there have been further developments with The Box’s new permanent galleries, exhibitions, artistic commissions and events programme.

The next phase of the project will see the scaffolding on St Luke’s Church and the North Hill side of the former Museum and Art Gallery and Central Library buildings taken down. The installation of the curtain walling to the new front entrance on Tavistock Place will also begin.

Ian Bowyer, Shadow Leader said: “Today’s ceremony is a reminder of the wide range of skills and partnership working needed for a huge development like The Box, and another really important milestone for the project. Now the structural work is complete, and the building is taking shape in front of our eyes it’s also a reminder that we’re another step closer to opening.”

The Box is being designed by award-winning architects Atkins, with Ward Williams Associates providing the Project Management role on the scheme.

Adam Ferguson, Associate Partner and the Lead Project Manager on The Box, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this iconic project for Plymouth. The Topping Out Ceremony celebrates a significant step towards completion of the project in time for the Mayflower celebrations”.

“We have really enjoyed being part of this project and this event provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work of everyone involved”.

For more information about The Box project, visit the website: www.theboxplymouth.com or contact our Plymouth Office.