Indiana University’s Mies van der Rohe College of Art and Architecture and Morphosis Architects’ Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, California were among the 10 projects that received the IDEAS² award from the American Institute of Steel Construction.
A panel of five experts in architecture, structural engineering and construction selected 10 US steel building projects as recipients of the 2023 Design for Innovation in Steel Engineering and Architecture (IDEAS²) award sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction. According to AISC, the annual awards program honors those who “demonstrate the exciting possibilities of structural steel construction and highlight the many ways that steel can help express architectural intent, using its unique advantages to build both simple and complex structures.” Structural Systems’ project. The winning designs will be presented at the NASCC: Steel Conference April 12–14 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Here are the top 10 steel construction projects for 2023 (project descriptions and jury comments provided by AISC):
Ventilated steel trusses and a new mid-height structural mezzanine add modern earthquake resistance to unreinforced brickwork built in 1906, ready for the next century of service.
Judges Comments: “What struck me about this project was their success in highlighting the existing structure. The current brick is beautiful. It is 100 years old and unreinforced, but that doesn’t matter to the building today. in San Francisco. So they put it in moment frames that hide nothing. Added a new CLT diaphragm to the floor. Repurposed old wood and trusses on top for truss compression elements, you need something strong, but use steel for the stretched base of the trusses – thin and sleek design that can only be made entirely of steel to look away from a building left on historic sites.” — Jim Foreman, PE, SE, Senior Project Engineer, Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers
Project Team: Client: Comstock Realty Partners, Los Angeles Architect: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, Berkeley, CA Peter Logan Architecture + Design/PLAD, New York Civil Engineer: Gregory P. Luth & Associates, Inc. / GPLA, Santa Clara, CA pull. General contractor: RHC Construction, Oakland, California. Consultants: Mark Hulbert Preservation Architecture, Oakland, CA.
In 1952, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed a house for the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity on the main campus of Indiana University Bloomington, but funding cuts closed the plan. Only in the archives of the Museum of Modern Art. A full 70 years later, students can now enjoy this space – not as a dorm, but as a design school.
Judges Comment: “It was great to see the team stick to Mies’ original design. You couldn’t separate the concept of steel from the concept of this building – steel was the only thing that made this building work. Done on a horizontal level, with sensitivity to detail and attention to the architect’s original intent, it’s a magical experience to see a building come together in this way.” — Anders Lasater, AIA, Architect and Director of Anders Lasater Architects.
Project Team: Client: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana Architect: Thomas Phifer & Partners, New York SE: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Chicago GC: CDI Inc., Terre Haute, Ind.
The flowing, irregular structure accommodates small, intimate galleries, a reconfigurable main exhibition space, and a rooftop terrace for large-scale sculptural work.
Judges Comment: “The use of steel throughout the building is both obvious and somewhat puzzling, telling the jury that architects and civil engineers do understand the unique qualities and material properties of structural steel and have found ways to use it for their designs. The advantage is that it’s not just a structural solution, but rather a way to express and hide the structure to play on the visitor’s ability to understand the building.” — Anders Lasater, AIA, architect and director, Anders Lasater. Architects
Project Team: Owner: Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, CA Architect: mOrphosis Architects, Culver City, CA SE: John A. Martin & Associates, Inc., Los Angeles GC: Clark Architects, Irvine, CA
Since 1987, music lovers have been raising the roof at the permanent Summerfest venue. Because modern stage productions require more vertical space, the project team also had to raise the roof to 26 feet.
Judges Comments: “What was truly groundbreaking was being able to analyze an existing structure in the 80s, come up with an economical system for lifting the trusses, and develop ways to cut them, keep them stable and able to reconnect them to a higher facility. The site was designed to be 26 feet high. Reusing these existing structures is very cost effective compared to the environmental impact of demolishing them. This is a great example of what can be done with steel in these adaptive reuses. situations.” – David Horowitz, Executive Vice President, AECOM Tishman
Project Team: Owner: Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. (Summerfest), Milwaukee Architect: Eppstein Uhen Architects, Milwaukee SE: Larson Engineering, Inc., Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Manufacturer: Ace Iron and Steel, Inc., Milwaukee * AISC Full Member * GC: Hunzinger Construction, Brookfield, WI Details: Nu-Way Drafting Corp., Wausau, WI Rosalon, TX
Built in 1949 and decommissioned in 2014 due to outdated safety features and minor damage from the 2001 earthquake, the historic monument now features seven brand new floors, a new seismic system and a new steel frame. the building was moved during its 70-year lifespan.
Judges Comments: “The ability to attach new structures to existing buildings, as well as integrate seismic and side bracing into an existing building, demonstrates a truly unique ability for steel to be attached and modified for architectural purposes. Adaptive reuse of materials that may not otherwise meet requirements. with current regulations.” — David Horowitz, Executive Vice President, AECOM Tishman.
Project Team: Client: Martin Selig Real Estate, Seattle Architects: Perkins & Will, Seattle SE: KPFF Consulting Engineers, Seattle, AISC Certified Building Manufacturer* GC: Lease Crutcher Lewis, Seattle Installer: The Erection Co., Arlington, Washington.
The modularity resulted in a new 80,000 square foot shop that could be quickly accommodated in a challenging site. The judges commented, “This modular setup is a great way to demonstrate the performance of steel at an efficient speed in a limited space – market application – and the adaptability of this material to create these modular sections that can create open, long spans that can be assembled quickly and efficiently.” — David Horowitz, Executive Vice President, AECOM Tishman.
Project Team: Owner: DFW Airport Architect: PGAL, Addison, TX SE: Henderson Rogers Structural Engineers, LLC, Houston Fabricator, Detailer and Bender/Cutter: Miscellaneous Steel Industries, Kyle, TX* AISC Full Member, AISC Certified Building Manufacturer* Installer : Acero Construction Services, Kyle, TX *AISC Certified Installer* GC: The Walsh Group, Chicago Consultants: Mammoet, Rosharon, TX
Making the underground structure, surrounded by 100-foot-tall mechanically strong earth walls, seem effortless required some real innovation, but the SoFi project team pulled it off. The wall provides space for the stadium to move safely in the event of an earthquake on the nearby Newport-Inglewood Fault.
Judges Comments: “This is a really special project and the setting is really thought out. The use of steel is almost overwhelming as in many ways it is like any great building you may have been to. The church is as big and imposing as it gets… I hate it when it sounds like I’m saying it’s a church because it’s a sports facility, but in many ways it has a magical quality. It has a lightness that is really uplifting. It’s a theatrical experience.” – Anders Lasater, AIA, Architect and Head of Anders Lasater Architects
Project Team: Client: Hollywood Park, Inglewood, CA Architect: HKS Architects, Inc., Dallas Structural Engineer: Walter P. Moore, San Francisco Fabricator/Installer/Assembly Specialist (Bowl Stadium): SME Steel Contractors, West -Jordan, UT *AISC Full Member, AISC Certified Building Manufacturer and Installer* General Contractor: Turner Hunt Joint Venture, Inglewood, CA.
The new Seattle Cracken Arena scores a hat-trick by almost completely demolishing the existing structure and building a mostly dirt arena, keeping the iconic façade and iconic roof intact, completed to the NHL schedule and promising to be the first network in the world. zero certified arena.
Judges comment: “The challenge with this project was to take the existing structure and try to keep the façade and roof in place while the interior was demolished. To keep the project stable during construction and complete it in a very short period of time. time, excavations and many struts. This is due in no small part to hiring a steel contractor early, making many decisions early in the project, and fixing some coordination issues before they happen: during construction. Steel has a lot of value, we have a lot of things to brag about, and it’s just a flash point.” — Mark Trimble, Senior Vice President, American Institute of Steel Construction.
Project Team: Owner: Oak View Group, Los Angeles Owner Representative: CAA ICON, Denver Architect: Populous, Kansas City, MO Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., Kansas City, MO Fabricator/Finisher: LeJeune Steel Company , Minneapolis *AISC Full Member, AISC Certified Building Materials Manufacturer* General Contractor: Mortenson, Kirkland, Wash. Installer: Danny’s Construction Company *AISC Associate Member, AISC Certified Installer* Structural Engineer: Seattle DCI Engineers
New York has a majestic railroad entrance again. Moynihan’s Railroad Hall extends Pennsylvania Station into the old James A. Farley Post Office, built in 1912 – luckily with a steel frame. The project team converted 4,000 tons of existing steel and added 6,000 tons to transform a 20th-century postal building into a 21st-century transportation hub and iconic building for years to come.
Judges Comment: “It is amazing that this structure, which may have been plastered for over 100 years, is now open and on display as part of this beautiful spatial sculpture. It demonstrates the resilience of steel: you can take this 110 farm for a year and it’s still running.” —Helen Torres, SE, PE, LEED AP, president and founder of Helen Torres & Associates.
Project Team: Owner: New York State Development Corporation/Empire, New York Architects: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, New York Structural Engineers: Severud Associates Consulting Engineers, PC, New York General Contractors: Vornado Realty Trust, associated Company and Skanska, East Elmhurst, New York
Michael and the Quirsis Riney Primate Canopy Canopy Trails project team weren’t messing around when they seamlessly intertwined steel paths and climbing structures with live trees and other natural elements to give visitors the chance to see the treetops. steel that gracefully weathers the changing seasons of the Midwest.
Judges Comment: “The challenge with this project was getting things right where they were meant to be, which required a lot of coordination between the manufacturer, contractor and parts assembler, as well as a lot of unusual layout techniques. through the site, bumps, almost like rollercoaster bends, I don’t think this project could have been built with anything but steel. The way the trail cuts through the woods feels almost natural. For Uncoated Of Weathering Steel, it just blends in with background. It makes me wonder what those monkeys would think, looking at us humans as we walked down the path, if they wanted to know if we were monkeys.” — Mark Thring Bull, Senior Vice President, American Institute of Steel Construction
Project Team: Owner: St. Louis Zoo Architect: PGAV Destinations, St. Louis SE: Leigh & O’Kane, Kansas City, MO Manufacturer: The Gateway Company of Missouri, Berkeley, MO *Full AISC Member, AISC Certified Manufacturer* GC: Tarlton Corporation, St. Louis Detailer: Nicoloff Detailing, Edwardsville, Illinois. Bender/Cutter: Max Weiss Company, Milwaukee * AISC Partner* Installer: Acme Erectors Inc., St. Louis Animal Consultant: A Thru Z Consulting, Tucson, Arizona.
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The American Steel Structure Institute recently released an updated version of one of its flagship standards, the Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (ANSI/AISC 303-22). The code was last updated in 2016. The latest version is available for free download at aisc.org/2022code.
In Lakeland, Florida, between Orlando and Tampa, Florida Tech University has opened its new Applied Research Center (ARC). Designed by HOK and built by Skanska, the 90,000-square-foot academic building furthers the school’s mission of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Each year, the Building Design+Construction editorial team evaluates a variety of new and updated products, materials, and systems for the US design and construction market. The best products make up our annual Top 75 Products report.
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