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Ironwood Saipan holds topping out ceremony
Affordable housing developer Ironwood did a topping out ceremony yesterday at its Saipan project on Middle Road in Gualo Rai.
Ironwood Saipan holds a topping out ceremony at its site on Middle Road, Gualo Rai yesterday, signifying the completion of its vertical construction. The developer will now focus on exterior and interior finishes as they aim to open in November this year. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)
Topping out is an old Scandinavian tradition. Once the construction of the topmost part of a structure is done, a tree or at least a branch is placed atop it, hence the term.
This signifies that vertical construction for the affordable housing project is done and the developer is now focusing on the exterior and interior finishes.
Aside from Ironwood officials and partners, Public Works Secretary James Ada, Northern Marianas Housing Corp. director Jesse Palacios, as well as some members of the Legislature were in attendance at the ceremony.
“Our vertical structure’s finished, now we’re working on enclosing the building. We’re starting the interior finishes, the dry wall, and the windows. Next month we’ll get the building totally weather-proof,” said Sean Easter, vice president for Construction Ironwood.
Since the project started, over 600,000 lbs of steel have already been installed. They also used 2,000 cubic yards of concrete and spent 250,000 man-hours of labor.
According to Easter, they are in line with their schedule and looking forward to finish by October.
The low-income housing tax credit project will open in early November.
Ironwood Saipan will feature 80 apartments within two-floor buildings. There will be 26 two-bedroom, 33 three-bedroom, and 24 four-bedroom units available for rent.
Aside from the units being affordable and available for low-income earners, the Ironwood project will also feature energy-efficient construction, which will result in up to 70 percent utility savings for residents. Also included in the project is a community center, a playground, a basketball court and several pavilions.
“Thank you Ironwood Saipan for investing in the CNMI and for being a partner for this administration and of course for the NMHC in furthering our mandate to provide for safe, decent, sanitary, and energy-efficient housing to our citizens,” Palacios said. (Frauleine S. Villanueva)
