TELFORD HOMES CELEBRATES ‘TOPPING OUT’ AT STRATFORD PLAZA

Oct 7 2014

The ‘topping out’ of Stratford Plaza, Telford Homes’ 26-storey residential tower in Stratford, E15, was celebrated in style on Wednesday, 1st October, at a ceremony attended by Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of the London Borough of Newham.

In addition to the Mayor, the event, marking the completion of the building’s concrete frame, was attended by a variety of other dignitaries, including Lord Andrew Mawson. Guests were guided to the top floor of the tower, where refreshments were provided by specialist London event agency Blue Strawberry. To mark the occasion, the Mayor said a few words in addition to unveiling a new plaque and ‘topping out’ Stratford Plaza.

The age-old tradition of ‘topping out’ a new building can be traced back thousands of years to the ancient Scandinavian practice of placing a tree atop a new building. The reasons behind the practice have been lost in folklore but there are suggestions that this was done to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in the construction of the building. Today, a formal ceremony is held to commemorate this milestone in the construction of a building, with all tradesmen and staff involved in the construction of the building joining in the celebration as well as representatives of the architecture and engineering firms and any VIPs that are invited.

Jon Di-Stefano, Chief Executive of Telford Homes, comments:

“We are delighted to celebrate the ‘topping out’ of Stratford Plaza, the first of our three landmark developments in Stratford. Having the concrete frame completed by Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of the London Borough of Newham, demonstrates the significance of the development in Stratford town centre.

He adds: “Stratford is changing all the time and with transport links in every direction, Europe’s biggest shopping centre and the opening of the former Olympic Park it has the infrastructure already in place to support new residents moving into the area.”