Contractors Install Top Floor Steel Beams at Pace Academy

Pace Academy celebrated the latest milestone in the construction of The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School when crews placed one of the final steel beams on the building’s top floor on Oct. 31.

Prior to its installation, the beam was painted white and signed by Pace Academy faculty, staff, students and members of the construction crew, said Caitlin Goodrich Jones, Pace Academy director of Communications, in her construction update today. The crew placed an American flag and a small tree on top of the beam to recognize nearing the completion of the building's structural steel.

“Watching our new Upper School rise from the ground in recent months has been exciting for everyone in the Pace community,” said Pace Academy Head of School Fred Assaf. “With the installation of this special beam, we’ve honored our faculty, staff and students, and ensured that our current Pace family is quite literally a part of the building for generations to come.”

Construction of the 75,000-square-foot Upper School is progressing on schedule and within budget, according to the update. The final steel beams were being placed on Halloween, and the next "steel phase" should be completed by another holiday – Thanksgiving. Steel framing has been installed through the third floor, and the building frame should be complete by then. Installation of interior mechanical and electrical systems has commenced, and crews have begun installing the building’s exterior skin.

When complete in August 2014, The Arthur M. Blank Family Upper School will include The Woodruff Library, a 1,500-square-foot Student Commons, an Academic Resource Center, a terrace overlooking the Pace Academy Gardens, a new College-Counseling suite, state-of-the-art classrooms and science labs, the latest in wireless technology and responsible energy-saving features.