AGA Announces 2018 Excellence In Hot-Dip Galvanizing Award Winners

Centennial, CO - The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) has announced the winners of its 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 on the association’s website. Of all entries received, 17 were further singled out for recognition, receiving awards in various categories. As a group, the 2018 winners showcase the durability, longevity, and sustainability of the hot-dip galvanized coating. They also illustrate the diverse ways in which hot-dip galvanized steel is being utilized.

The preeminent award, Most Distinguished, was given to the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge in Tarrytown, New York. An engineering marvel, the bridge was constructed by floating preconstructed segments down the Hudson to the bridge site. The bridge makes extensive use of hot-dip galvanized steel in structural and ancillary elements.

The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Scuplture Park's conservatory is framed with hot-dipped galvanized steel and clad with glass. Now 25 years old, it has many decades of life left in it.

Another of the contest’s major awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes galvanized projects with at least 15 years of service, was granted to the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Hot-dipped galvanized steel frames the Gardens’ five-story-tall, 10,000 sq. ft., glass conservatory, which today looks exactly as it did 25 years ago when it was brand new.

Two projects were awarded in the Artistic category, both of which embody the characteristics of hot-dip galvanized steel. Desert Landscape is an artistic installation in the entryway of a home in Tempe, Arizona while Generations, can be seen outside the Danbury Senior Living facility in North Canton, Ohio.

Also capitalizing on aesthetics were the winners of the Duplex System award, which recognizes projects where paint or powder coat finishes are applied over the hot-dip galvanized steel coating. Those projects were the Tommy Garrott Aquatics Facility in Gallatin, TN, and Ground Ball in Nashville, TN.

Also taking advantage of the aesthetic and durable properties of a duplex system was the Verele Japanese Restaurant. Taking home the International award, it lies at the western-most end of the Anantara Peace Haven Resort Tangalle in Sri Lanka.

A number of entries with connections to sustainability and improving the planet were among the category winners in 2018. They include the CTA Wilson Train Station, part of the Chicago transit network, and the Captain Trash Wheel, the latest addition to the family of trash collecting vessels operating in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The train station was chosen the winner in the Transportation category while the Trash Wheel won the Water & Marine Award.

Carports and walkway canopies framed with hot-dip galvanized steel provide a platform for the mounting of more than 5,000 solar panels at one of the East Greenwich Township's elementary schools in Mickleton, NJ.

Continuing the sustainability theme, an ambitious solar project for the East Greenwich Township School District in Mickleton, NJ was chosen the winner in the Electrical, Utilities and Communication category. The project involved the construction of numerous carports and walkway canopies at one of the district’s schools, which were covered by enough solar panels to generate 1.7 Megawatts of solar power.

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. Hot-dipped galvanized steel was used as part of a low-income duplex the students designed and built through the University's Design+Make Studio.

Although not visible now that the arena is complete, hot-dip galvanized steel framing played a major role in the design and construction of Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit.

Another structure showcasing the benefits of hot-dip galvanized steel is the Building & Architecture winner – Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The durability and longevity of hot-dip galvanizing provides the Little Caesars Arena with sustainability – both environmentally and economically.

This year’s Excellence Awards also feature four winners in Canada that showcased the sustainability of hot-dip galvanized steel. Two of those, the Terwillegar Park Footbridge and the Mechanized River Valley Access Project, received the Bridge & Highway Award and the Recreation & Entertainment Award, respectively. Both projects are located with Edmonton, Alberta’s Capital Region River Valley Park which is North America’s largest urban park.

The other two Canadian winners were both in Quebec, with the Industrial Award going to the Demix Quarry Modernization in Laval, and the Food & Agriculture award going to the Olymel Pork Plant Expansion in Saint-Esprit.

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. The longest in the industry at 130 feet, the conveyor can move 30,000 bushels per hour. Thirty tons of galvanized steel were used in its construction.

In addition to being shared in the AGA Project Gallery, the winning projects will be featured in various publications, seminars and other marketing materials throughout the year.

About the American Galvanizers Association

Serving the needs of specifiers, architects, engineers, contractors, and fabricators throughout North America since 1935, the American Galvanizers Association (AGA) provides information on the most innovative applications and state-of-the-art technological developments in hot-dip galvanizing for corrosion protection. Created to educate and train in the specification and use of hot-dip galvanized steel, the AGA maintains a large technical library, distributes numerous industry publications, offers free educational seminars, and provides toll-free technical support to the specifying community. To learn more, visit www.galvanizeit.org.