Brookfield House marked a significant milestone yesterday with a topping-out ceremony at its Front Street construction site, as the final steel beam was hoisted into place.

The beam was decorated with the flags of Bermuda, the United States and Canada, and included the planting of a cedar tree and the signatures of the construction crew.

The event celebrated the completion of the nine-storey building’s steel frame and followed a longstanding construction tradition believed to bring good luck and honour to the team’s hard work.

“Welcome everyone to a very important and proud milestone for the project with the building of Brookfield House here at 91 Front Street,” said Ernesto Bacalzo, the senior vice-president of Brookfield Properties, addressing the crowd. “This achievement of topping out with the structural steel is an incredibly important milestone and accomplishment for the project team.”

He thanked the team from D&J Construction, Innovative Ironworks, Benson Steel and other partners for their dedication, saying it was “a beautiful day in Bermuda” and the project team was “like a family.”

The building is set to become the new global headquarters for Brookfield Reinsurance and the company’s Bermudian-domiciled listed affiliates, Brookfield Property Partners, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable Partners and Brookfield Business Partners.

Dennis Fagundo, the managing director of D&J, also took the microphone, recognising the efforts of everyone on site: “Pushing hard and really putting the hours in, really pulling out all the stops to make this happen. I would just like to say thank you to everybody that's at work getting it done.”

Construction began after the demolition of the previous structure at the site in early 2024.

Brookfield House is set to become Bermuda’s first multi-tenant building, aiming to achieve Leed Platinum certification. The project includes 55,000 square feet of office space and 3,000 square feet of retail, with completion expected in June 2026.

The building overcame initial hurdles, including concerns about its height, but was ultimately approved by the Government, with Vance Campbell, then Minister of the Cabinet Office, praising its potential to boost jobs and energise Hamilton’s waterfront.

• Video by Akil Simmons