CENTENNIAL, CO – The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards. More than 110 projects, representing the versatility and allure of hot-dip galvanizing, were judged online by a panel of architects and engineers and are now featured in the AGA Project Gallery.

The 2018 winners showcase the durability, longevity, and sustainability of the hot-dip galvanized coating. The preeminent award, Most Distinguished, was given to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in Tarrytown, New York. The engineering marvel, which used the unique installation tactic of floating bridge sections down the Hudson, makes extensive use of hot-dip galvanized steel in structural and ancillary elements. In total, more than 59,000 tons of hot-dip galvanized reinforcing steel (rebar) was used in the development of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Galvanized steel plays a crucial role in the overall strength and durability of the bridge, ensuring a 100-year design life for this spectacular structure.

The Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes galvanized projects with at least 15 years of service, was granted to the resilient Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI.  Lifetime Achievement projects are featured in the AGA’s Galvanized Steel Study (GSS) video series and include interviews with the owners and/or specifiers of the projects detailing its performance over the years. During the development of the GSS for the Meijer Gardens, the original architect, Bob Pomeroy, stated, “I think as an architect, when you come back to a facility – it looks the same as it did when it went up, and (so) without a doubt, we would galvanize something like this (again). I think it’s a proven technology and when you see the results 25 years later, why would you not continue to use that same system.” Since it opened, Meijer Gardens has attracted more than ten million visitors. Thanks to the longevity and sustainability of hot-dip galvanized steel, millions more will be able to enjoy the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park for generations to come.

Two projects were awarded in the Artistic category this year, both of which embody the characteristics of hot-dip galvanized steel. The Desert Landscape in Tempe, Arizona is an artistic installation in the entryway of a home. The array of saguaro, cholla, prickly pear, senita, and hedgehog cactus are common throughout the area. Both saguaro cactus and hot-dip galvanizing are known for their longevity; thus, the long-lasting protection of hot-dip galvanizing, will ensure the cactus landscape will mirror the lifespan of the species it captures.

The second winner in the Artistic category, Generations, is a complex sculpture created by Patrick Buckohr. The sculpture is proudly situated outside Danbury Senior Living in North Canton, Ohio. Constructed from steel, glass, and internal lights this sculpture truly shines, and took more than six months to complete. The sculpture is the likeness of a couple holding a child overhead as the child clutches three balloons. According to Mr. Buckohr, “The adults are passing their life experiences on to the next generation facing the challenges of the future.” Buckohr’s beautiful sculpture connects meaningful images of time; past, present, and future, just as the hot-dip galvanizing will protect this sculpture for current and future generations to enjoy. 

Two other projects capitalizing on aesthetics were the winners of the Duplex System award. This year, two Tennessee projects were recognized: the Tommy Garrott Aquatics Facility in Gallatin, and Ground Ball in Nashville. What used to be an empty field in Gallatin is now the most exciting place to cool off on hot days in Summer County – the Tommy Garrott Aquatics Center. The new park offers visitors a zero-depth pool, complete with a splash pad, spray toys, two towering twisting water slides and a speed slide all at a low-cost admission. Hot-dip galvanizing has been used successfully in the waterpark industry for years and has now become an industry standard. Powder coating over the galvanized steel adds an additional layer of protection while providing the fun, exciting visual appearance people expect out of a waterpark. With an annual expected attendance of 30,000- 40,000 people from up to a 75-mile radius, minimal maintenance and optimal performance was a necessity. Thanks to the dual protection of hot-dip galvanizing and powder coating, the citizens of Gallatin will be able to splash the days away at the Tommy Garrott Aquatics Facility for decades to come.

Known for its close ties to the music industry, Nashville has a bustling tourism industry, leading to a lot of vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic. In 2010, the city began a program to install dozens of creative, engaging bike racks. Many of these bike racks were galvanized, increasing the awareness of galvanizing to the millions of people that see and use these pieces of art.  In 2017, the final bike rack known as Ground Ball was installed at First Tennessee Park, welcoming visitors to Nashville Sounds baseball games. The fabricator and galvanizer were challenged to maintain the artist’s vision of incorporating movement, whimsy, and the universal appeal of baseball for people of diverse ages, languages, and backgrounds. Thanks to the underlying galvanized steel, the Ground Ball will serve as both an artistic element and functional bike rack for years to come.

Another project that took advantage of the aesthetic and durable properties of a duplex system, was the Verele Japanese Restaurant which took home the International award. The restaurant lies at the western-most end of the Anantara Peace Haven Resort Tangalle, overlooking a private beach and out to the Indian Ocean. The restaurant consists of two dome-shaped structures resembling two huge balls. Anantara Peace Haven Resort is highlighted by this unique tourist attraction, offering great food with a sea view. Hot-dip galvanized steel played a major role in making a cost-effective structure that would provide an elegant dining experience for the resort’s customers.

Making the world a better place is a noble goal as sustainability is in the forefront of everyone’s minds. The CTA Wilson Train Station in Chicago, and Captain Trash Wheel in Baltimore are two projects that employ hot-dip galvanized steel to improve their cities. The Transportation winner was the new CTA Wilson Train Station, part of the Chicago transit network serving 1.7 million people per day.  Some requirements of the station include adhering to a strict budget, using the best available corrosion protection, and retaining as little maintenance as possible. Hot-dip galvanizing provided the solution to all these. Not only does the new station help CTA riders, but thanks to the strength-to-weight ratio of steel, using galvanized steel rather than concrete columns also means the very busy Wilson and Broadway Avenues below now have more lanes for vehicle traffic. The station will have little maintenance, avoiding costly shutdowns and hassles for Chicagoans for years to come, thanks to the CTA’s decision to use hot-dip galvanizing.

Captain Trash Wheel, the latest addition to the family of Water Wheels in Baltimore, won the Water & Marine Award this year. The family of trash collectors (Mr. Trash Wheel and Professor Trash Wheel), well-known for their googly eyes and active Twitter and video feeds, have collected more than 1.5 million tons of trash from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor since May 2014. The original Mr. Trash Wheel has removed as much as 11 tons of refuse in a single day, and the wheels have become local celebrities – including sightseeing tour stops, and birthday parties with local kids. As the family of trash wheels grows in Baltimore and beyond, hot-dip galvanized steel will play an integral role in the cleaning of the world’s waterways. Cleaning up trash from the water is a dirty job, but the affordable, durable, and sustainable coating that galvanizing provides will ensure Captain Trash Wheel and his brethren are up to the task.

Continuing the sustainability theme, the Electrical, Utilities and Communication category winner highlights hot-dip galvanized steel’s use in a robust, renewable energy source. East Greenwich Township School District Solar Carports were built to bring solar power from the school district carports in Mickleton, New Jersey. Over the past decade, the price of electricity has been rising, making it difficult for schools to plan and budget for the future. While attempting to solve the problem of increasingly-expensive energy, the District realized solar power is the cheapest energy source in the world. Students will learn about the sustainability of both solar power and zinc. The new carports support an electrical system feeding solar energy into the school, lessening the need for traditional methods. The timeless, durable protection and visual appeal of hot-dip galvanized carports helped make the District’s initiative become a reality.

Kansas State University students learned about the durability of hot-dip galvanized steel through their work on the Civic Contribution Award winner, Waldo Duplex, in Kansas City. In July 2017, a group of fifth-year architecture students from the school led a project to build a low-income duplex in Waldo through the University’s Design+Make Studio. Challenging traditional duplexes which isolate their tenants on either side of a partition wall, the Waldo Duplex unites them through the tradition of the front porch. The interior design provides maximum natural sunlight through an open floor plan and glass partitions. With the help of galvanized steel, the completed project suggests a duplex can be built affordably without sacrificing architectural integrity.

Another structure showcasing the benefits of hot-dip galvanized steel is the Building & Architecture winner – Little Caesars Arena. The durability and longevity of hot-dip galvanizing provides the Little Caesars Arena with sustainability – both environmentally and economically. The long-lasting, maintenance free protection of hot-dip galvanized steel means less natural resources are consumed, and just as important, less money is spent over the life of the project. For a city with storied and proud sports teams, it only makes sense that the new arena housing two of them turns to a consistent, proven material – hot-dip galvanized steel.

This year’s Excellence Awards also feature four winners in Canada that showcased the sustainability of hot-dip galvanized steel. The first is the winner of our Bridge & Highway award – Terwillegar Park Footbridge in Edmonton, Alberta. The city’s Capital Region River Valley Park is North America’s largest urban park, with a total area of more than 18,000 acres, connecting over 88 kilometers of the North Saskatchewan River Valley from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan. In building the footbridge, the City of Edmonton wanted to deliver a functional structure that complimented the river valley’s natural setting, while creating minimal impact to the surrounding environment. Hot-dip galvanizing was the preferred coating to blend naturally with its surroundings and allowed for off-site construction to minimize disturbance of the historical site. The vision for the river valley is to preserve, protect and enhance to create one of the largest park systems for year-round accessibility as well as the enjoyment of its citizens and visitors. Thanks to the maintenance-free, economical hot-dip galvanized elements, this footbridge will last a lifetime.

Another project within the River Valley Park, the Mechanized River Valley Access Project, took home the Recreation & Entertainment award. As stated above, the City wanted the park to be accessible to people of all ages and abilities year-round. This project included seven parts: The Promontory, Stairs, Funicular, Promenade, Bridge, Lookout, and Elevator, all of which help provide access to the river valley from Edmonton’s downtown core by creating a mechanized, barrier-free system that allows all residents to enjoy the river valley. The decision to utilize hot-dip galvanized steel throughout these elements will preserve the vision of the project as well as the structures themselves for generations to come. 

Moving to the other side of the country, there are two projects in Quebec that benefit from the durability of galvanized steel in harsh environments. Sometimes, hot-dip galvanized steel is specified solely for its tenacious durability, as seen in the winners in the Industrial and Food & Agriculture categories. The Industrial Award went to the Demix Quarry Modernization in Laval, Quebec. Located in the heart of an urban center, the Laval Demix Quarry was facing a good news problem. Ever-growing demand for its traditional aggregates, as well as new services such as snow storage and recycling of consumer waste and construction materials, was exceeding the geographic and logistic capacities of the site.The extremely aggressive environment and the abrasive nature of the materials required a high-performance corrosion solution to ensure long service life of this huge investment, without the normally associated high-performance price. Now in operation, this handling system is increasing capacity and lowering costs while saving space. The wise choice of hot-dip galvanized steel ensures the new system will provide maintenance-free service to Demix for generations to come.

The Food & Agriculture winner, the Olymel Pork Plant Expansion, is situated in Saint-Esprit, Quebec. The largest pork producer in Canada, decided in 2016 to once again expand its Saint Esprit pork plant.  Like all meat processing facilities, it needs daily washing of all interior surfaces which can pose quite a potential corrosion challenge. Olymel has witnessed firsthand the striking short and long-term benefits of galvanizing as compared to other coatings, leading to an easy solution to what corrosion solution should be employed. Now in operation, this expansion has created 200 new jobs and, thanks in part to hot-dip galvanized steel, Olymel can sell their pork products worldwide from an expanded facility. Superior corrosion protection keeps maintenance costs low and even more importantly, increases food safety by being corrosion resistant and easy to clean.

The final winner of the 2018 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards is the Original Equipment Manufacturer award, given to the 30,000 BPH Transport Conveyor in Hampton, Iowa. Global Fabrication is a leader in the grain handling industry, specializing in temporary storage solutions. Their newly released 30,000 BPH (bushel per hour) transport conveyor, which uses 60,000 pounds of galvanized steel, is the longest in the industry at 130 feet, and the highest capacity mobile conveyor on the market. The entire production and design team worked closely with their galvanizer on the fabrication details to ensure the galvanized components for the equipment would be efficient and trouble-free for the galvanizing process ensuring the longevity and reliability of the conveyor in any environment.

Congratulations to all this year’s winners, which will be featured on the AGA homepage, and in various publications, seminars, and other marketing materials. In addition to these winners, all of the projects submitted to the 2018 competition are featured in the AGA Project Gallery, which recently received an upgrade to showcase the AGA’s more than 1500 case studies.

Complete list of Winners, by category: