BOONE, N.C. — New Atlantic Contracting hosted representatives from Appalachian State University and distinguished guests, including North Carolina Sen. Ralph Hise and state Rep. Ray Pickett, at a Feb. 22 topping out ceremony — a centuries-old tradition — for the Holmes Convocation Center Parking Deck, which is scheduled for completion this summer.
The six-level parking deck will offer 600 stalls, increasing the number of parking spaces available for faculty, staff and students by 460. This additional parking will also support special events at the Holmes Convocation Center and the 30,000-seat Kidd Brewer Stadium. App State selected New Atlantic and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting to design and build the deck, breaking ground on the project the week of June 12, 2023.
“The Holmes Convocation Center, which this deck will serve, is a multipurpose facility that houses two academic departments and serves thousands of visitors each year — who attend varsity sports, guest speaker series, community education events and, of course, commencement,” said Dr. Dan Layzell, vice chancellor of finance and operations for App State. “In just a few months, it will allow us to better meet the needs of our students, faculty, staff and visitors to the university with safer, more accessible and more available parking.”
The deck replaces the former Holmes surface parking lot and is located adjacent to the Holmes Center’s Northwest and Southwest entrances. One of the planned features of the project is a covered pedestrian bridge that will be available from the deck’s second level and connect to the paved concourse area outside the center’s Southwest entrance.
The project is one of the first by the university to use an innovative, design-build delivery method, which has allowed App State to erect the building quickly, according to Layzell. In a design-build project delivery, the project owner enters into a single contract for both design and construction services, rather than separate contracts.
“To all the workers who have brought this building to life over the last few months, thank you for your progress on this facility,” said Layzell. “We hear compliments nearly every day about what a nice-looking building it is, and we are looking forward to testing it out!”
John Morrison, president of New Atlantic Contracting, thanked those involved, including Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and the various subcontractors — from electrical to plumbing — for their efforts in bringing the structure to fruition.
Morrison also recognized App State student Dylan Reed, a senior building sciences-construction management major from Pfafftown who worked as an intern for New Atlantic on the project. Reed was able to complete his internship while taking classes and will graduate in May.
Morrison acknowledged that the topping out ceremony is a Norwegian tradition that continues today. According to tradition, the ceremony involves placing the final structural beam of a building’s frame to signify that the project has reached its highest point without loss of life or injury.
The parking deck’s final piece of steel beam framing was adorned with an American flag and an App State flag and signed by Chancellor Sheri Everts along with members of her university leadership team, as well as Hise, Pickett, Morrison, representatives from Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, the App State and New Atlantic construction teams, and everyone in attendance before it was hoisted to the top of the structure and installed.
For more information about the parking deck and other capital projects at App State, visit appstate.edu/future.
