The last steel beam of the new building at Goodwin College's river campus goes up today. The topping off ceremony includes the placing a tree on the top of the building. The beam and the tree represent one of the construction industry’s oldest customs – the "topping out" or "topping off" of a completed project.
This ancient European tradition lives on among American steelworkers. No-one really seems to know exactly how it started, but the tradition of topping out has become a cherished custom whenever the skeleton of a bridge or building is completed, a signal that the uppermost steel member is going into place. As that final beam is hoisted, an evergreen tree or a flag or both are attached to it as it ascends.
How did this custome start? Here is one version. Scandinavian mythology suggests that humans originated from trees and our souls returned to the trees after death, giving each tree a spirit of its own. Before cutting a tree, they would formally address the forest, reminding it of the consideration they had always shown toward the trees and asking the forest to grant use of a tree for construction of their home. When the house was complete, the topmost leafy branch of the tree used would be set atop the roof so that the tree spirit would not be rendered homeless. The gesture was supposed to convince the tree spirit of the sincere appreciation of those building the home. As time passed, the early conception of tree worship gradually changed, but the custom is continued across the world.
Source: Modern Steel Construction December 2000
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