“Expanding the scope of the submission criteria to a 24-month window greatly increased the number of completed project submissions we received,” said Alan Sears, Awards Committee Chairman. “This provides SEAA members with an opportunity to showcase their most interesting, and often most challenging, structural steel erection work.”
The Project of the Year winners in the Texas Contractor area are:
Alliance Riggers & Constructors for Bel Air High School in El Paso, Texas
(Class III for $1 million to $2.5 million)
A new multi-level arts and sports complex for Ysleta Independent School District replaced an existing single level gym within the same restricted location. "Long spans and heavy trusses defined this project. Floor trusses were 127 feet long, and roof trusses were 177 feet long, weighing up to 60 tons each. Temporary bracing and guying were also critical components of this project,” summarized the judge panel. Successful execution required close coordination with the fabricator and engineering firms to properly plan erection and fabrication sequencing.
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Peterson Beckner Industries for Kinder Building at Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas
(Class IV for over $2.5 million)
“There is nothing ordinary about this structure,” said the judge panel of the Museum of Fine Arts, Kinder Building. Floor framing consists of two levels of geometrically complicated heavy wide flange composite structure. The roof is an intricate weaving of sloped and swept pipe trusses, infilled with sloped and rolled wide flange beams to form a network of concave roof sections. Primary challenges included erection phasing of the composite floor level framing and in-depth sequencing of the complex roof framing. In addition, development of erection procedures to ensure field fit-up and stability of the structure while under construction was critical.
In addition, Empire Steel received Honorable Mention for Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas (Class II).
This high-profile project included tilt wall and structural steel erection around several priceless exhibits that remained in the museum during construction. Sequencing, critical crane lifts, and noise restrictions all contributed to the challenges of executing the project on time and on budget.
