Skanska sets final beam atop 35-story Capitol Tower

The beam and flag raised above Downtown Houston. The beam and flag raised above Downtown Houston. Photo: Courtesy Of Skanska Photo: Courtesy Of Skanska Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Skanska sets final beam atop 35-story Capitol Tower 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

Skanska marked a construction milestone Wednesday at Capitol Tower hoisting the top beam into place atop the 532-foot building.

But, to eliminate waste, Skanska said it skipped the tradition of putting a tree on top of the downtown building to signal it reached its final height.

The "topping out" ceremony comes 51 weeks after Skanska jump started the "vertical construction" of the 35-story building after signing Bank of America as the lead tenant. The bank will occupy nearly 30 percent of 800 Capitol upon its completion next year.

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Members of Skanska's development, design and construction teams had a chance to sign the beam before it was lifted up with an American flag attached.

Some highlights, provided by Skanska:

435,000 work hours to complete the concrete foundation and framework

420,000 square feet of glass on the exterior

75,000 cubic yards of concrete in the framework

6,500 tons of steel

532 feet tall

390 workers on the site at peak construction

163 miles of electrical wire throughout the building

98 percent of waste diverted from landfills

1.4 million pounds of aluminum in the exterior (an amount equivalent to 4.3 million Coke cans)

Skanska poured the foundation in August 2015, but did not start vertical construction until landing an anchor tenant last year.

Designed by Gensler, Capitol Tower is precertified LEED Platinium, the highest level awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for energy and environmental design. The building will contain 754,000 square feet of office space and a two-level atrium with 26,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Construction is expected to wrap up in the second quarter of 2019.