The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2015 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards. More than 100 projects were submitted representing the versatility of hot-dip galvanizing. All submissions were judged online by a panel of architects and engineers and are now featured in the AGA Project Gallery. 

This years winners highlight the vast array of uses for hot-dip galvanizing, with many taking advantage of the utilitarian coating, while others utilize the coating in a more whimsical fashion. The highest honor, designated Most Distinguished, was given to the Lazy Magnolia Brewery in Kiln, Mississippi.  Lazy Magnolia is dedicated to providing the best possible products, and selecting the most cost-effective corrosion protection, hot-dip galvanizing, just made sense.  The owners used ingenuity in the design of the building, ensuring enough height for the brew house and room for additional equipment as the business expanded.  Hot-dip galvanized steel, which is showcased throughout the brewery  was the right product for this growing business in the south.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was granted to the Daytona International Speedway Grandstands.  This special award recognizes galvanized projects with at least 15 years of service and this year the submissions became the AGAs first Galvanized Steel Studies (GSS). GSS are YouTube video interviews with the owners and/or specifiers of thee projects detailing its performance over the years. The Daytona Grandstands, built 30 years ago, have withstood the harsh environment along the Atlantic Ocean and delivered the durability and low-cost maintenance expected when galvanizing was originally specified.

The Daytona International Speedway took home another award in the Recreation and Entertainment category for the Daytona Rising project. An expansion project designed to improve the spectator experience, the project includes more than 15,000 tons of hot-dip galvanized steel that is literally rising from the original galvanized grandstand structure. This structure will last for years to come and served as an efficient and durable way to increase the spectors seating.  

Also awarded in the Recreation and Entertainment category was the Big Cat Crossing, Philadelphia Zoo project. The Philadelphia Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the country, and the Crossing is part of a new, innovative zoo experience.   The caged walkways wind their way around the zoo above visitor walking paths allowing lions, tigers, pumas, snow leopards and jaguars to stretch their legs and watch the people and other animals below. Now, the question is...Who is watching Who?

In addition to the excitement of these recreational projects, another winner displaying the more amusing, creative side of hot-dip galvanized steel is The Praying Mantis Sculpture which took home the Artistic award. Created for the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, the Mantis was displayed throughout the event, and lit on fire the final night.  This sculpture captured the beauty of hot-dip galvanizing and was a great piece for the festival.

Proving hot-dip galvanizing is used for more than just fun, several projects used the coating in a more pragmatic way.  Projects located in Water and Marine environments require a coating that will withstand the attack of moisture. This year, two Water and Marine projects were  honored; the Clackamas Hydro Project and the Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards. The Clackamas Hydro Projects ultimate goal is to ensure a 97% survival rate for wild fish attempting to complete their life-cycle journey with minimal human disturbance. 

This project allows the safe transport of juvenile fish through transport pipe seven miles downstream where they are released to continue their own migration.  Hot-dip galvanizing uses zinc already naturally found in the water - to protect the steel ensuring an environmentally-friendly way to monitor the safe transport of smolt for years to come. Also taking advantage of hot-dip galvanized steels durability in moisture-rich environments is the Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards.

 The Shipyards  are part of a large redevelopment project to launch the rebirth of the West Coast shipbuilding industry.  Originally, the platforms and towers were slated to be painted, but ultimately, Seaspan decided to hot-dip galvanize them.  Thanks to the durability and longevity of hot-dip galvanized steel, the Seaspan Vancouver Shipyards will be a centerpiece in the shipbuilding and ship repair on the West Coast for many years to come.

This year, the Industrial Award also recognized a project in a moisture-rich environment. The Sept-Îles Multi-Purpose Wharf Complex encompasses more than 5,000 tons of hot-dip galvanized structural steel, rebar, and ancillary items.  Due to the remote location and harsh environment of the port, the low cost, high performance of hot-dip galvanizing fit the bill perfectly.

Moisture-rich environments are not the only harsh locations where hot-dip galvanized steel is specified for its longevity and durability.  The La Romaine Bridge in Quebec, winner of the Bridge and Highway category, utilizes hot-dip galvanizing because it is located in an environment with long and difficult winters.  The remote location and harsh environment dictated the need for a coating that would provide  long, maintenance-free protection.

Another piece of infrastructure that benefits from the utilitarian galvanized coating is parking structures.  The 2015 Excellence Awards honored two parking structures this year.  The Charlotte Douglas International Airport Rental Car Facility & Hourly Parking Deck won the Building and Architecture category. This is the fourth of five similar structures built at the airport since 2004.  The galvanized truss and stainless skin allow natural light into the structure, and by night, the panels are backlit, and the glass and galvanized stair towers glow like dynamic blue lanterns welcoming passengers like a beacon on the horizon.

The International award was also bestowed on a parking structure this year, the Austin Hospital Car Park Extension in Melbourne, Australia. The six-story multi-level extension added 18,000 square meters to the existing operational car park at Austin Hospital.  The additional 752 car spaces of the extension utilizes a galvanized steel frame and cast concrete floors. The Car Park extension is a great example of expanding within the same footprint while not disturbing the existing asset.  The modern, attractive façade of the car park and the use of galvanized steel ensure the car park a long, uninterrupted and beautiful life for years to come. 

The pavilions winning the Duplex Systems and Civic Contribution categories took advantage of both the pragmatic and aesthetic side of hot-dip galvanizing.  The Point Cadet Pavilion won the Duplex Systems award with its combination of paint over galvanized steel.  The Pavilion revitalized the park devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and is now used to host family events, symphonies, crawfish boils, and other special events for the community. The dual-coating will provide unmatched corrosion protection and beauty for the Pavilion for generations. 

The Iowa State University Pavilion took home the Civic Contribution award. This project was designed, developed, and constructed by 22 Iowa State University students as a part of the Design Build Option Studio under the instruction of Professor Bruce Bassler.  The fusion of the cool galvanized metal and warm wood give the Pavilion a clean, sleek look equally providing nostalgia and respecting modern design.

Though the next two winners utilized hot-dip galvanized steel in a practical way, dont confuse that pragmatism for a lack of ingenuity or innovation.   The Turris Systems Mobile Communication Tower won the Electrical, Utility, and Communications award. The Mobile Communication Towers are not fixed to permanent foundations, but can be moved to areas of need. The very nature of these structures require the ability to withstand various harsh environments. Hot-dip galvanizing was the coating of choice, ensuring these towers will bring clear, consistent coverage whether following an emergency or in a remote location for this generation and the next.

Ingenuity and innovation also headline the use of hot-dip galvanized steel in the Cherry Creek Systems which won the Original Equipment Manufacturing category. The systems include irrigation systems, booms, and conveyors for effective and efficient greenhouse operations all utilizing hot-dip galvanized steel and lasting for generations.
 

Rounding out the 2015 Excellence Awards winners are two utilitarian uses of galvanized steel. The Petone Elevator won the Food and Agriculture award.  The farm community demands high quality, long lasting structures.  In addition to meeting those demands, hot-dip galvanized steel is sustainable, cost effective, and durable its no surprise the farm community prefers the versatile coating.

 Finally, The Oakland Airport Connector won the Transportation category. The state-of-the-art propulsion system moves passengers 3.2 miles between the Oakland Coliseum and the Airport. 

The designers were seeking a corrosion protection system that was affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly hot-dip galvanizing met all of the requirements providing the cutting edge technology of the transportation system a long, rust-free future. 

Congratulations to all of this years winners, all of which will be featured in Winners section of the AGA Project Gallery as well as s on the AGA homepage (galvanizeit.org), various publications, seminars, and other marketing materials. All of the submitted projects will be added to the Case Studies section of the AGA Project Gallery.