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Last week we started to scratch the surface of the construction process with a story covering the hoarding that surrounds construction sites. This week, it's time to go behind the hoarding walls to cover the ground breaking ceremonies that announce that work is going ahead.
The ceremonies, are just that — ceremonial — 99% of the time, they're not practical, with the ground that gets moved not having anything to do with upcoming excavation. Typically bringing together many people from the team creating the project, the bigger the building, the more that will be made of the event. If the building is big enough, politicians will show up to lend their support to this economy-boosting development, (the bigger the building, the higher ranking the politcos who will attend).
Gold shovels are often gathered, enough for each representative who will participate in what is essentially a photo opportunity. The party is normally made up of principals from the development company, the contractor, possibly the sales agency, the architects, the financing institution, and again, often a politician or two. If the building is to be a condo, unit purchasers are often invited too: the ceremonies are meant to commemorate this major milestone, one which is a major piece of assurance for those who have invested in the building.
The ceremonies normally feature a mound of earth that has been piled so as to be easily dug into, and then tossed into the air as a symbolic gesture. If a building already exists on the site however, sometimes a cardboard box wall will be mocked up, with mallets handed out instead, so a good swing can be taken at them.
Whatever has been set up, it's all symbolic and nearly never falls on the same day as the actual start of construction: the digging work or demolition at the site actually starts whenever crews and equipment are available as there's never a day to be wasted for the contractors. The ceremonies, however, which pull people in from many companies and differing daily routines, take quite a bit of coordinating, as schedules are compared to see who is available when. If everyone is available on the same day that the construction crews first show up, great, but it's nearly never the case.
Sometimes a ceremony will be held, but the crews are held up, not available yet, and that site will languish untouched until crews are ready to get the real work underway. More often than not though, the ceremony happens a little bit after actual work has already commenced: actual work is more reassuring for those in attendance, and an excavator parked behind the speakers makes for a better photo. Occasionally, however, the ceremony will occur months after work has started; it's all about who you want at your event, and when you can round them all up.
Next week, what construction crews typically tackle first: Shoring.
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From 2015 to 2017, UrbanToronto and its sister publication, SkyriseCities, ran an occasional series of articles under the heading Explainer. Each one took a concept from Urban Planning, Architecture, Construction, or other topics that often wind up in our publications, and presented an in depth look at it. It's time to revisit (and update where necessary) those articles for readers who are unfamiliar with them. While you may already know what some of these terms mean, others may be new to you. We are publishing or updating and republishing Explainer on a weekly basis. This article is a new addition to the series.
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