The American Galvanizers Association has been busy filming videos for the Galvanized Steel Studies series. This video series showcases galvanized projects that have been in service for at least ten years. A variety of projects are included from different environments all over North America. Providing this background and diversity helps show the longevity, durability, and versatility of using hot-dip galvanizing in a range of applications. Since early 2016, five new videos have been produced, beginning with M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Home to the Baltimore Ravens football team, M&T Bank Stadium incorporates thousands of feet of hot-dip galvanized handrail. Jeff Provenzano, Vice President of Facility Operations at Camden Yards Sport Complex, noted the maintenance-free benefit galvanizing provides for all interior and exterior handrails.

Our first Canadian project to be included in the series is the Calgary LRT Stations. Geoff Kallweit, Project Engineer for Reed Jones Christoffersen Structural Engineers showed us the 7th Avenue LRT Refurbishment project. Galvanizing was chosen for the stations along the light rail line to protect the exposed structural steel and reinforcing steel in the concrete from corrosion. Ease of installation was one of the reasons galvanizing was chosen for this project, as well as its aesthetic appeal.

We filmed two projects in our hometown of Denver, Colorado. First we visited the Denver Zoo for a behind the scenes look at the galvanized structures used to house the lions, hyenas, and wild dogs in the Predator Ridge area. Most of the galvanized pieces are in the night quarters behind the exterior display of the animal enclosure. Galvanizing helps protect the steel from daily wear, tear, and cleanings, while providing a durable coating to prevent any abrasions, nicks, or scratches from the animals. We also visited the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Parking Garage in Golden, Colorado, a suburb just outside of Denver. The project features an extensive use of galvanized steel in order to provide a 100-year building while meeting sustainability requirements. Low maintenance and durability were also factors in deciding to use hot-dip galvanized steel in the project.

Our latest video is a transmission line in Omaha, Nebraska. We interviewed Mark Kuhlenengal, the Principal Transmission Engineer and Patrick Hutchinson, the Maintenance Optimization Engineer, of Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). Filming began at the galvanized lattice towers, which are the distribution source of power for the Omaha transmission line, and then followed the line into the urban and residential sections of Omaha.  This section is part of a larger transmission line running from Minneapolis to Kansas City. The towers and transmission lines were all erected and galvanized around 1970, and no maintenance has been required thus far.  This project provides a great example of the durability, longevity, and reliability of galvanized transmission poles in an industrial environment subject to all four seasons.

These five videos bring the series total to thirteen, with more planned for release by the end of the year. If you have a project that is a great fit for the series, please contact Senior Marketing Coordinator Laura Hanson. Watch the entire Galvanized Steel Studies series on our YouTube channel!