MILESTONE FOR VERVE
Construction hits rooftop
Verve marked a construction milestone in East Village, holding a topping off ceremony last week to recognize reaching its full height of 25 storeys.
Verve is FRAM+Slokker’s second condo development in East Village, after First, which wrapped up in 2015. East Village is a major redevelopment plan under master developer Calgary Municipal Land Corp.
Construction workers poured a ceremonial rectangle on the roof from a bucket of concrete suspended from a crane, then enjoyed a lunch.
“It’s significant for the trades and the workers who have been working for the last 16 months on this project,” says Fred Serrafero, vice-president of development and construction at FRAM Building Group. “It’s traditional in our industry to hold a celebration for them for having reached the rooftop of the building.”
The view from the top never loses its lustre, says Serrafero, especially for what the milestone means to those 300-plus workers on the project.
“It’s very exciting. It’s always exciting,” he say. “It’s lots and lots of work. A year and a half ago, you start digging a big hole and then you come out of the ground, and then seeing these guys working really hard throughout the year. It’s really a celebration for the workers.”
Verve has 288 condo units, with about 90 per cent of them sold. It also has commercial space on the street level, with about half of it leased. Bringing their businesses to East Village are Good Earth Coffeehouse, Panago Pizza and Barber Culture, with more to be announced in coming months.
Verve is the first building on “the Riff,” a diagonal thoroughfare linking Studio Bell at one end of East Village with the George C. King Bridge on the other end.
“We’re excited to contribute to the skyline in East Village, to cel- ebrate East Village with our partner, CMLC, and to help new residents move into this new emerging neighbourhood,” Serrafero says.
It’s a community that is gaining momentum as more projects are completed and people move in.
“In the past three years, we’ve seen over 1,000 residents move into the community, and we look forward to welcoming Verve residents home to East Village later this year,” says Clare LePan, CMLC director of marketing and communications.
Verve owners will begin to take possession of their units in the early fall, and the building is expected to be completed by the end of this year.