‘Topping out’ the new SciTech Campus building

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life sciences and engineering building under construction
Life Sciences and Engineering Building under construction on Science and Technology Campus. Photo by EarthCam

Skanska, a leading global development and construction firm, recently reached a milestone by “topping out” George Mason University’s new Life Sciences and Engineering Building on Science and Technology Campus.

With a completion date of late 2024, the $83.6 million,132,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility will include specialized instructional labs, classrooms, experiential learning laboratories, and faculty and administrative offices to support growing student and faculty communities on the SciTech Campus.

The topping out ceremony, a tradition passed down for generations throughout the construction industry, honors the construction team’s hard work and signals a time of celebration for the progress made on a project. The effort to achieve the topping out milestone is highlighted by:

  • Pouring more than 6,278 cubic yards of concrete which is enough to fill two Olympic swimming pools.
  • Laying more than 700 tons of rebar weighing more than 1.3 million pounds.
  • Working more than 50,000 hours to date.

When completed, the building will be used by the College of Engineering and Computing, the College of Science, the College of Education and Human Development, and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. It will also be an integral part of the university’s Innovation Town Center, which will provide students at the SciTech Campus with a residential campus experience from their freshman year through their post-graduate work.