On Wednesday 26th February 2025, the final piece of structural steel was crane-lifted and placed at the top of the 33m fly tower of the new Waikato Regional Theatre in central Hamilton.
On it were the signatures of key players in the project – representatives from the Waikato Regional Property Trust, Fosters, Grayson Engineering, RDT Pacific, Jasmax, Momentum Waikato, and Rigger Brothers.
‘Topping off’ or ‘Signing the steel’ is an old tradition in construction; the project team sign the highest beam before it is raised into place. The signatures symbolise that those people were the first to reach the top of the building. Of course, they also leave their permanent mark on the building, marking their place in history.
Fosters Project Manager Ben Royfee said a few words prior to the signing ceremony, noting that the placement of the final beam also marked over 400,000 man hours on the project to date.
“It’s important to pause and reflect on what’s been achieved here” said Ben. “The Fosters crew, our subcontractors and the architects at Jasmax deserve immense thanks.”
Ross Hargood, Chair of the Waikato Regional Property Trust echoed those sentiments, noting the enormity of the moment. “We will never be able to do this again” he said.
With the structural steel work now complete, two cranes that have worked on site for the past 26 months have both been taken down. The project is on track, with the Waikato Regional Theatre due to open to the public later this year.
