Wurriki Nyal building tops out

THE City of Greater Geelong’s building in its new Civic Precinct celebrated reaching its highest point with a topping-out ceremony on Monday this week.

The event on the building’s fifth and highest storey was attended by representatives from the City of Greater Geelong, development partners Quintessential Equity, builders BESIX Watpac, architects COX Architecture and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.

Named Wurriki Nyal – “speak and talk together” in Wadawurrung language – the precinct’s design involved extensive consultation with Traditional Owners on key elements including landscaping and interior art design, Aboriginal employment targets, and a traditional yarning circle in the precinct’s public space.

The topping-out ceremony included a drooping sheoak sapling, a native species chosen for its special importance to Wadawurrung People and the project.

Geelong mayor Stephanie Asher said she was proud to see the project continuing to deliver for the municipality in a tough time.

“When we embarked on the project to build a new Civic Precinct for Geelong back in 2019, we never could have imagined how challenging the next two years would be for our community.”

Quintessential Equity executive chair Shane Quinn said it was great to see the project reach a key milestone.

“The topping-out is always a rewarding moment to acknowledge all of the hard work that goes into making these projects a reality.”

The building is expected to be complete in mid-2022.