Commercial Property Solicitor, Ben Couch recently attended a ‘Topping Out’ ceremony at a new student accommodation scheme in the centre of Leeds.   The scheme that will accommodate 411 students has been developed by student accommodation specialist, the Alumno Group, and built by GMI Construction. 

A “Topping out” ceremony is a celebratory event that marks the completion of the construction phase of a new building. The practice can be traced back to ancient Scandinavian religious rites where a tree was placed atop a building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits!

The ceremony is typically held on the roof of the new building, and it is attended by the construction team, project managers, architects, and other key stakeholders involved in the building's development, as well as local government officials and community leaders.  It’s an opportunity for the building's owners and developers to officially unveil the building's name and officially dedicate it to its intended purpose.  The event is not only a celebration of the hard work and completion of a new building, but also an important step in the process of bringing a new development to the community.

Ben Couch said “It was great to be invited to the ceremony, and to look around what I’m sure will be a fantastic asset to the thriving student community in Leeds. Banner Jones complete commercial property work for many local businesses but also for businesses in the wider Yorkshire region, so it was good to see the sheer amount of investment and development going on in Leeds.”