SEAA Project of the Year Winners

Seven steel erection companies have been named as recipients in the annual Project of the Year awards by the Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA).

One winner was selected in each of four categories based on the dollar amount of the erection contract. In addition, three companies received Honorable Mention. Categories are Class I up to $500,000; Class II $500,000 to $1 million; Class III $1-2.5 million; and Class IV over $2.5 million.

Three of the projects were part of broader redevelopment plans in the local communities where they were built, and five of them house centers for cultural expression—including performing arts, sports, and a museum.

Chosen by an independent panel of judges, the companies received notice of their awards in April 2021 for projects that were topped out in either 2019 or 2020.

“Erectors often work in close collaboration with other teams and trades, and sometimes the customer. Challenges frequently deal with logistics, crane selection and rigging methods, and execution of complicated connection plans,” said Alan Sears, SEAA Awards Committee Chairman. “We congratulate these companies for excellent delivery of these unique structural steel construction projects.”

2021 Project of the Year Winners

• Hodges Erectors Inc., for Turnberry Ocean Club condo entrance, Sunny Isles, Fla.
• (Class I for erection contracts up to $500,000)

This oceanfront condominium tower was built to provide a luxury lifestyle for residents, which starts with a grand entrance composed of a free spanning structure. The frame of plate girder and tube steel spans 150 feet from the building façade to a water fall feature. Because the curved beams are under compression at both ends, the structure was able to be erected without intermediate support columns. One of the main challenges was the number of mobilizations required due to sequencing. Hodges Erectors used a tower crane for unloading and erection for about half of the project, but had to bring in a 450-ton mobile crane, properly shored, to set up on a parking garage to complete the job.

• FM Steel LLC, for Talking Stick Resort arena renovations, Phoenix, Ariz. 
• (Class II for $500,000 to $1 million)

This job is part of the $230 million Project 201 PHX Reimagined redevelopment to convert a small, dated arena into a new venue for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury basketball teams. “The 125 tons of steel that we stuffed in between the existing roof structure was designed to hold new visuals for fans,” said Michael Mulsow. This steel structure will hold a new a center-hung scoreboard that is six times larger than the previous videoboard, and two new LED ribbon boards. This project required multiple mobilizations in order to work around home games. In addition, limited headroom for the crane, meant that some steel was transferred in mid-air from the crane using bull rigging techniques.

• United Steel Inc., for Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, Conn. 
• (Class III for $1 million to $2.5 million)

Conversion of a dilapidated ballpark into an amphitheater is part of a larger economic redevelopment plan for the south side of Bridgeport. The joint venture between the City of Bridgeport and Harbor Yard Amphitheater in association with Live Nation Entertainment will house concerts, graduations, community events and festivals. The hallmark of the building is a 125 ft high tensile roof and unique 107 ft high pavilion entrance, which is complemented by a 25 ft oculus. This one-of-a-kind structure required extensive planning and coordination utilizing three cranes working in unison on a tight site to install a 135 ft. diameter trussed ring that supports a 60,000 lb. cable-supported center mast and several cable-supported “flying masts.”

• Deem Structural Service for Buddy Holly Hall performing arts center, Lubbock, Texas 
• (Class IV for over $2.5 million)

Part of downtown Lubbock’s revitalization efforts, a 220,000 sq ft performing arts center honors the area’s musical heritage of the 1950s. The first-class music venue features a 13-ton stair, shaped like a funnel cloud to remember the tragic tornado of 1970, and a guitar wall consisting of more than 9,000 pieces of cast aluminum guitar picks depicting Buddy Holly. Complicated sequencing, limited site space, monitoring major truss deflections, and bracing were among the challenges of the job. In addition, connection design was delegated to the steel team. Adding to the complexity of the job was a project-within-a-project—the erection of the funnel cloud shaped stair, comprised of double-axis HSS tubing, supported only by cantilevered steel at each floor level.

Three companies received Honorable Mention.

• High Plains Steel Services LLC, for Hunters Overlook Bridge, Windsor, Colo. (Class I)

A 168 ft clear span bridge over a private reservoir for a private residence was purchased from a bridge supplier, but the construction method proposed by the supplier was drastically over budget. High Plains Steel was brought into the project when the customer realized the initial plan was not feasible. High Plains Steel worked with the customer’s crane supplier to devise an alternative construction method that saved tens of thousands in costs.

• CAS Steel Erectors Inc., for International African American Museum, Charleston, S.C. (Class III)

South Carolina presents unique construction challenges in that it is a multi-hazard zone subject to hurricanes, earthquakes, and flooding. A 41,760 sq ft elevated structure, which will house a new museum, required numerous moment and seismic welds and use of an unprecedent zero tolerance brick relief system. The complex project was further complicated by an aggressive schedule amid COVID-19, requiring additional health and safety protocols. CAS Steel Erectors built a temporary canopy with cantilevered beams and scaffolding to temporarily shore the cantilevered beams at elevation until moment welds were completed. In all, hundreds of inches of field welding was required for connections, which included 220 standard moment connections and 110 rigid frame moment welds.

• Cooper Steel for Belmont University Performing Arts Center, Nashville, Tenn. (Class IV)

A multi-purpose theater, designed to house two event spaces, features a dome ceiling and arch entryways. Cooper Steel served as the fabricator and managed the erection on the project, which was performed by fellow SEAA member Sentry Steel Service. In all, 14 trusses were erected. They weighed up to 21.5 tons and measured 91 ft. With minimal laydown area available, the trusses were erected directly off the trailer and delivery times had to be carefully coordinated. To speed up the process, Cooper Steel pre-fabricated large pieces of steel off site. In addition, the dome—consisting of 400 individual pieces with an accuracy tolerance of ½ in.—required specific angles, sizing, and erection sequences.