Coronation
Introduction
In the construction of buildings, crowning (sometimes known by the English terms topping out or topping off) is a builders' rite, which consists of marking the completion of the structure of a building by placing a flag, branch or tree decorated with flowers and ribbons at the top of the structure. This tradition is still alive in several countries in Europe and in the United States, but has fallen into disuse in other countries. A building is said to be crowned when its height has been reached. maximum architectural quality, that is, the top floor has been built, but it is still under construction in the absence of other elements being installed.
Today, this ceremony is often turned into a media event for public relations purposes.[1] After the crowning of a building, many elements may remain to complete the construction, such as the facade, the completion of the interior, and most of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
History
The practice of "crowning" a new building dates back to the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree on top of a new building to appease the spirits of the trees felled during its construction.[2] For a long time it was used primarily in wood-frame buildings.)[3] It spread first to England and the rest of Northern Europe, and later to America.
The rite consists of placing a flag, in the case of Spain, or a tree or leafy branch on the upper beam, whether made of wood or iron, sometimes with flags and streamers tied to it, in the case of other European countries. Often, a toast is drunk or the workers are treated to a meal. In masonry construction, the ritual celebrates the placing of the last block or brick.
In some cases, the crowning event is celebrated at an intermediate point, such as when the roof is dried.[4].
The practice remains common in Spain, the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries such as Australia[5] and Canada,[6] as well as in Germany, Austria, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and the United States, where the top beam of a skyscraper is painted white and signed by all workers.