On Friday, June 22, Cuyahoga County, Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), and Turner Construction Company hosted a “Topping Out” ceremony and press conference to commemorate the completion of steel erection on Cleveland Medical Mart & Convention Center. Jim Bennett, MMPI senior vice president, served as emcee with brief remarks from Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald, City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, and Dr. Toby Cosgrove from Cleveland Clinic.

A look at Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center construction: By the Numbers

Construction crews continue to change the landscape of downtown Cleveland with visible progress on the Medical Mart facility. With steel erection completed, crews have been setting the 515 concrete exterior panels, beginning along the northern side of the future facility and now working on the west side. On the site of the future Convention Center, crews are making visible progress on structural steel erection on the Exhibit Hall roof. Turner Construction reports that three steel tree columns and box trusses were installed this week, upping the total to nine out of 20 massive support structures. With the installation of steel tree columns and box trusses, crews are also hanging steel columns and adding metal decking for the future Convention Center roof and Mall B surface on the center section just north of St. Clair Avenue.

On the Medical Mart, two of the most visible and dramatic signs of progress are the extensive metal decking work on the roof of the facility and the placing of the exterior pre-cast wall panels on the north side of the future structure. On the top floor of the Medical Mart, metal decking continues at the roof of the Service Penthouses and in the cantilevered showcase wings and at the Atrium Bridges. Meanwhile, on the north façade of the future Medical Mart, crews continue to place exterior wall panels. All of the 515 pre-cast wall panels have been fabricated and are ready for installation on the exterior of the building.

On the site of the future Convention Center just north of St. Clair Avenue, crews have erected five of the 24 large steel box trusses, attaching them to the main tree columns. Turner Construction expects to complete 1-2 box trusses each week. The installation of the field trusses continues as well.

On the Medical Mart site, the Atrium Bridge installation and Metal decking continues at the roof of the Service Penthouses and in the cantilevered showcase wings. Concrete flooring has been poured and is now completed through the Penthouse level. The setting of the Medical Mart façade panels along the north side of the Mart continued this week. In the Exhibit Hall area just north of St. Clair Avenue, four of the 24 massive steel box trusses have been erected.  The main tree columns in the Exhibit Hall continue to be erected in advance of the box trusses. Crews anticipate erecting 1-2 box trusses each week. The installation of the field trusses also began last week.  The process should continue through May when the steel erection phase is slated for completion.
 

With the majority of steel erection completed on the four-story Medical Mart complex, construction crews have been busily pouring concrete on all four levels of the facility. Crews completed the structural steel erection of the southeast showroom late last week, allowing for a concrete pour on the slab-on-metal deck at the south half of Showroom Level 3. Crews have been completing the metal deck detailing and installation of the shear studs on the Penthouse level, to be followed by concrete placements. Installation of supports and hangers for the plumbing, mechanical and electrical continues on Showroom Level 2.

Following the “Topping Out” ceremony recognizing the completion of steel erection on the Medical Mart on February 1, construction crews dismantled one of the cranes and completed the erection of the northeast showroom slabs last week and should complete the erection of the southeast showroom slabs shortly. Concrete for the slab-on-metal deck at the north half of Showroom Level 3 is scheduled for next week while reinforcing for the concrete floors is being placed on the south half of Showroom Level 3 with plans to make the concrete on the south half of Showroom Level 3 within the next several days.

On February 1, 2012, Turner Construction recognized the completion of steel erection on the Medical Mart by hosting a traditional “Topping Out” ceremony, hoisting the final steel beam to the top of the structure with a fir tree and an American flag affixed to the beam. “Topping Out” is an ancient European tradition symbolized by tying a fir tree to the top of a newly completed roof that has been long adopted by American steel workers on construction projects. “Topping Out” recognizes that the uppermost steel beam is in place and that the structure has reached its zenith with no loss of life. More than 200 on-site workers viewed the ceremony and were provided commemorative t-shirts at an onsite luncheon.