More than 200 craft, trade partners and team members celebrated the topping out of the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce project in Charlottesville, VA.

Nearly five months after the slab-on-grade was poured, the DPR team achieved a significant milestone in the McIntire School of Commerce Expansion Project at the University of Virginia. The topping out ceremony—celebrated by more than 200 participants including construction workers, trade partners, architects, engineers and the McIntire School’s Board of Directors—marked the next step forward in the development of the university's new facility.

Nicholas Pauley, a DPR senior project manager, attributed the milestone achievement to the “team's thorough planning and coordination in abatement, demolition, support of excavation, utility relocations, mass excavation, and concrete foundations.”

Following the topping out tradition, an evergreen tree and the American flag were placed atop a signed beam and flown into position on the five-story, 74,200-sq.-ft. building, Shumway Hall. Howard Dunn, a DPR superintendent, thanked trade partners and construction crews for their dedication and hard work to achieve the milestone a week ahead of schedule.

The next milestone is the completion of the south façade of the historic 1917 Cobb Hall exterior which sits aside Shumway Hall. By completion, the site will see a total of 48 trade partners and hundreds of skilled craft workers having a hand in constructing the facility.

The expanded McIntire School of Commerce will feature state-of-the-art classrooms and workspaces designed to prepare students for success in the rapidly evolving business landscape. Designed by RAMSA and Glavé & Holmes Architecture, the project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2025.