Topping out ceremony for huge new Reading offices

Construction teams have been busy at work building One Station Hill, a 17-storey office tower, and one of the tallest buildings in Reading.

Once complete, it will have 13 floors of offices along with flexible co-working space, a retail unit and cafes, restaurants and more for workers.

Builders and dignitaries celebrated a construction milestone for the building, which they marked with a topping-out ceremony.

The celebration involved cement being dug, an evergreen tree branch being nailed to the structure, and a toast of ale.

Hector McAlpine, executive partner at Sir Robert McAlpine Construction said: “I’d like to recognise the entire team for their hard work and invaluable contributions.”

He also thanked the men and women working on One Station Hill itself, calling it an “iconic, high-profile building.”

Lee Fearnhead (left), director of construction at Lincoln Property Company with Hector McAlpine from Sir Robert McAlpine at the One Station Hill topping out ceremony in Reading. Credit: Station Hill

The Station Hill project is being managed by Lincoln Property Company, which once complete will be made up of 1,300 apartments, 625,000 square metres of offices and a new public area.

Alex Aitchison, Lincoln Property Company UK Managing Director, looked forward to further development progress at Station Hill.

In March, the development company celebrated the topping out ceremony for the first phase, made up of 598 apartments.

READ MORE: Milestone reached for HUGE 598-home development next to Reading Station

Mr Aitchison said: “We welcomed our first 60 residents living in the residential apartments on Friar Street.

“Shortly, by the end of the year, that will be fully delivered with a bridge link over to this space, with two acres of public realm activated for the wider community.

“It’s very rare that we get to stand here and champion such a fantastic, game-changing development for Reading, for the Thames Valley.”

Alex Aitchison, managing director of Lincoln Property Company at the One Station Hill topping out ceremony in Reading. Credit: Station Hill

Councillor Tony Page (Labour, Abbey), the Mayor of Reading, hailed the milestone for the development, which he believes will help bring more people to Reading for work.

Cllr Page said: “We are now in a situation where inward investment into Reading, will I believe, continue apace.

“25-30 years ago for every one person that came into Reading two went up to London, now it’s reversed.

“People are travelling to Reading for work purposes, perhaps not five days a week but still in larger numbers, and that process will continue, as Reading becomes the rightful capital of the Thames Valley.

“The only thing we’ve been denied by the government over the years, still a frustrating subject to me and my colleagues, is long overdue city status, and we will not give up that desire.”

Councillor Tony Page, the Mayor of Reading, with dignitaries at the topping out ceremony flattening the concrete for One Station Hill in Reading. Credit: Station Hill

He also thanked the companies behind One Station Hill, and reflected on previous hopes that the Station Hill development would be completed prior to the huge train station upgrade in 2015.

Construction work will continue on the exterior of the building, with the interior being fitted out by contractors Houston Cox.

The ceremony was also attended by cllrs Liz Terry (Labour, Coley) deputy council leader and Mohammed Ayub (Labour, Abbey).