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Topping off our top-notch new building: Find out what a roofing ceremony is all about, who attended the festivity and how far back this tradition ACTUALLY goes!
Richtfest of THE FIZZ Hamburg
Did you ever see a wreath with multicolored ribbons hanging on top of a nearly-finished building and wondered what‘s it there for?
Then you have most probably witnessed the outcome of a ceremony called „topping out“. Now you probably ask yourself: „What is this for and what does it have to do with THE FIZZ?“
I’ll try to give a short overview.
The procedure of topping off a new building is an ancient ritual celebrated all over the world.
The ceremony includes the hanging of a tree or wreath to the top most beam of the building, a toast by the owner or supervisor that consists of good wishes and blessings for the residents and prayers that there will be no injuries during construction. After that, the speaker lifts his glass, drinks the liquor in one go and throws it to the ground.
There are different reasons why this tradition is still practiced today.
Some celebrate in order to appease the tree-dwelling beings that were displaced during the construction, some do so because of their believe that no building should be taller than any tree or for a very simple reason: it’s party time when the last brick is put down, or when the roof is completed.
I also found out that the first known ceremony was supposed to be in ancient Egypt where builders put a tree on the completed pyramid in order to honor all fellow builders who died during the construction.
But to reassure you: never ever were there any kind of injuries involved during the construction of a THE FIZZ. Same goes for our northernmost THE FIZZ in Hamburg Altona, where our construction partner PORR AG has been building 777 apartments, parking spaces, community rooms, a roof top, a fitness area, different entrances and lobbies on over 35.000 square meters since over 500 days now!
To celebrate the completion of the shell of THE FIZZ Hamburg Altona our development team, our management board, neighbors, representatives of the city of Hamburg and the Hamburg Commercial Bank, and the local press got together to thank all construction workers and project members for their effort and commitment.
About 200 guests took part in the ceremony where a wreath with red and white (brand colors of International Campus) and blue and yellow (brand colors of PORR AG) ribbons was erected in the courtyard. Then we were finally ready to rush to the buffet, where Der Blaue Hummer roasted two suckling pigs and had prepared several side dishes and cakes.
We also invited one special guest, who gave a short speech about the development of the quarter Altona: Mr. Gerdelmann is the representative of the building authority of Altona and explained that he sees much potential in giving anyone who is in a life-long learning phase a home where they can settle down, connect and share their potential. “Altona’s residents and all Fizzies from all over the world will shape the future of the city”, and he is very excited to welcome all different nationalities and talents in Hamburg.
Another special guest was definitely the AirMotion Team: they brought a special flying tool – look alike bird wings for humans – with them, which was connected to our crane in order to fly over the whole construction site. So, everyone who wanted to be closer to the sun and get a unique view over Hamburg Altona and THE FIZZ was invited to fly!
Overall, you can say that everyone is excited about the completion of THE FIZZ Hamburg Altona. We cannot wait to show you more pictures of our apartments and the community areas – let me tell you it’s gonna be huge! Stay tuned!
All photo rights by International Campus GmbH.