SDS2 SOLID STEEL AWARDS

Here are your finalists for the 2023 SDS2 Solid Steel Awards! Voting is now closed.

Winners will be announced at SDS2 Summit 2023 in Omaha, NE, October 11-12.

DESCRIPTION

This metro station, comprised mainly of unevenly-spaced elliptical tubes, required a deep understanding of geometry and elliptical shapes. The reference drawings provided only major and minor axis radius values, leaving the detailer to determine all other radius values themselves while maintaining a consistent 1" gap between the inner and outer tubes, as well as for the spacer tubes. Connections for this project required 1" x 1" bent plates, with different bent angles at each location, requiring the detailers to provide unfolded views of the tubes at a 1:1 scale.

DESCRIPTION

The Gillette Stadium is home of the New England Patriots football team. A major renovation of the north end zone featured an enhanced lighthouse, a high-def video board, and additional amenities. Structural challenges were numerous, including multiple types of truss framing connections at cruciform columns, heavy connections at vertical and horizontal brace locations, coordination of precast elements on sloped beams and columns. The lighthouse was constructed in segments, each detailed as shop-assembled frames, and featured Y-shaped and tapered columns. Because a significant portion of the structure is visible to the public, special attention was given to ensuring correct bolt orientations in both erection and shop drawings, as well as to the faying surface directions for SC bolt conditions.

DESCRIPTION

This mine expansion involved the construction of a 330-ton chute support framing system. This system included robust connections and multiple chutes to facilitate efficient operations. Notably, the cantilevered section of the framework was skillfully designed to create a visually appealing walkway encircling the surge bin. This was achieved through the strategic placement of skewed supports, enhancing both functionality and aesthetics. SDS2 automated a significant portion of the shear connections, expediting the design process. Additional SDS2 tools for plate work, stair and handrail items, and reference drawings were also implemented to deliver this functional and visually appealing industrial structure efficiently and accurately.

DESCRIPTION

This project for Universal Studios was originally designed to function as both a theme park and working production studio. It involved detailing several unique dome-shaped structural frames with rolled tubular elements. Connection design was a challenge on the project, requiring the detailers to provide welded connections with proper shipping assemblies for each unique structure. Using concrete features in SDS2, they were able to creatively fix roof slopes to align all slopes equally.

DESCRIPTION

This renovation project for an existing church involved a lot of coordination with the fabricator and general contractor, especially for installing the HSS dome. Final design wasn’t complete until the beginning of fabrication, when they decided to lower the roof by 2-0. Detailers went through several iterations on the HSS dome connections, finally deciding to have them fit tight and welded in the field, which required them to export the rollout pattern for the shop and get the correct step files, so both could be used to verify a proper fit.

DESCRIPTION

One Times Square is a 25-story, 363-foot-high, 118-year-old home of the famous New Year’s Eve ball drop. Today, it’s receiving a major renovation to become a modern-day visitor’s center. The project featured a viewing deck made of round HSS trusses in the form of a triangle used to support a glass floor, where visitors will get an elevated view of Times Square and a close-up look at the New Year’s ball. All connections of the view deck truss were unique. With all the existing steel on this project, many connections had to be roughed in to allow a first round of design, which later got changed due to field surveys. Since floors had to be erected before the tower crane was brought in, beams had to be shorter than 16-0 to fit in the service elevator and then bolted together to allow the beam to span the length required, which resulted in lots of end plate splices.

DESCRIPTION

This popular video game themed installment at Universal Studios involved many complicated structures, including curved framing at the perimeter, a waving bridge, circular floor and platform, and support for animated figures. Connections for the circular floor were quite complex, executed using a combination of SDS2 intelligence and hand designs. The entire project was completed on an extremely accelerated timeline, as the team was also asked to provide an ABM within 10-12 working days after being awarded the project. Detailing took place over a similarly tight timeline, with all drawings submitted for approval in just 13 weeks.

DESCRIPTION

This hydrometallurgical battery resource recovery facility is the first of its kind in North America. It involved extensive use of large members to support heavy loads throughout the facility. Typically, structures use the columns and outside beams as the main load bearing members. With this project, the inner members are designed with SDS2 connections, and sometimes the help of a third-party engineer, to handle larger loads to distribute the loads across the entire structure. The project involved a mix of structural and miscellaneous elements, including pipe racks, structural buildings, stair towers, cable tray supports, pipe supports, caged ladders, and stairs.

DESCRIPTION

This museum project is designed to be a new icon at the University of Texas at Dallas campus, with a structure that appears to float above the ground. Large gallery spaces set above the small second floor were made with super-trusses, consisting of 6 smaller trusses framed together, each 210 feet long and weighing 150 tons. Additional structural features, including the roofs and letting supports were also made up of trusses, many of them intersecting at irregular angles. The most unique component of the project were the tube supports for swooping precast panels, dubbed by the detailer as ‘pipe noodles.’ Support and connections for the decorative precast panels on the exterior were challenging throughout the project, which was highly collaborative and executed with 3D BIM sharing across all trades.

DESCRIPTION

This marine structure utilized in dock operations, consists of modular ‘fenders’ that absorb impact energy. The project involved intricate plate assemblies with unique features like ‘weep holes’ to facilitate pressure testing, curved fender profiles, an underwater ladder designed to eliminate welding and touch-up coatings and minimize long-term maintenance, and connections with uplift chains that needed to withstand dynamic underwater forces and vibrations. Given the marine environment, ensuring adequate corrosion protection was crucial, and applying coatings, surface preparations, and other protective measures added complexity to the detailing.

DESCRIPTION

An old alumni hall was replaced by an 85,000 square foot multi-use venue and sports arena holding 3,500 seats. The roof was the biggest challenge and highlight of the project. It was cambered and braced in both directions and featured multiple W-beamed truss frames most than 130 feet long. A majority of the connections were designed by SDS2, allowing the detailers to focus on the challenging connections, some of which had as many as eight members joining at a single node. They also faced hinged connections, something rare for steel frames this size.

DESCRIPTION

This 1.9 million-square-foot inpatient hospital is the largest single facilities project ever undertaken at the Ohio State University. It featured a variety of challenging features, including cupola framing, kink columns, scroll cantilever with a cambered tip, lantern steel at the roof and a lantern structure throughout the building, a sawtooth structure at the perimeter of all floors, curtain wall connection supports, cambered trusses, celio framing, and a bridge connecting new and existing structures. Most of the connections were developed from SDS2, though some around irregular framing features required extensive coordination with the customer.

DESCRIPTION

This aluminum foil manufacturing facility in Kentucky will be used to produce a specialized cathode foil used in electric vehicle batteries. The project involved heavy structural columns with shop splice operations at crane level, with different section sizes above and below the splice, which supports crane rails. Most connections were achieved using SDS2 design, with some more challenging vertical brace and joist moment connections. Using automated tools such as the anchor rod tool, reference drawings, assemblies, and flat rail and stair add tool, the detailers finished the project efficiently and effectively.

SDS2 SOLID STEEL AWARDS

CTA by Adept Engineering Solutions Pvt Ltd

Gillette Stadium North Endzone Reconstruction by MoldTek

Balcones L' Hoist - Crusher System Surge Bin by Cronus Steel Detailing

Universal Studios Pergolas by Arteras, Inc.

Church of Vietnamese Martyrs by X-Steel Detailing

One Times Square by Kennebec Valley Detailers

Universal Studios Plaza by Ovation Services, LLC

Li-Cycle Commercial Hub 1 by Innovative Steel Detailing, Inc.

Career Tech Academy for Baldwin County Public Schools by International Design Services

UTD APC Athenaeum by Steelweb, Inc.

Dolphin Fenders by LINQ LLC

Fairfield University Convocation Center / Leo D. Mahoney Arena by Beauce Atlas

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center by Ovation Services

Lotte Aluminium by Arteras, Inc.