Stars of Steel

In recognition of AISC and SteelDay 2019, we are highlighting projects that have crossed market sectors and innovative boundaries using steel to bring dynamic visions to the next level.

• Part of a three-phase plan to upgrade the science facilities on campus
• Features laboratories, classrooms, lecture space, and state-of-the-art equipment 
• Striking exterior and a column-free interior lobby space
• The use of steel enabled the expansive glass façade, thin roof profile, and a prominent “floating” interior space
• A 6-ft-tall glass handrail runs along the corridor and pod edge, providing an airy, open walkway 

• Undulating and curving façade that wraps the entire building
• The stadium is wrapped in a first-of-its-kind, laminated, woven PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) material 
• The translucent, laminated PTFE protects fans from the elements while allowing a view into the stadium from the exterior
• At night, the skin is back-lit in variable colors to create a one-of-a-kind canvas for the stadium
• The building skin is supported and shaped by large diameter, curved pipe sections called “driver pipes” 
• The MLS stadium features 9,400 seats and expands up to 23,000
• 2019 ESPN Best Stadium Experience

• Restoration effort to preserve the history and architecture of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
• Provided a new park for Houston, Texas’ fourth ward
• The design team opted to preserve the walls in place and leave them exposed to maintain the church’s historical integrity
• Combined strengthening techniques including new or repaired reinforced backup walls
• Strengthened coatings and a galvanized steel frame visually recalls the church’s original gabled roof lines
• Received the 2014 Preservation Houston Good Brick Award and the 2015 NCSEA Excellence in Structural Engineering, among others

• First purpose-built Grand Prix track and entertainment facility in the U.S.
• Built around a state-of-the-art F1 circuit track with elevation changes of 133 feet
• Seats: 9,000 grandstand / 15,000 amphitheater
• Circuit Track: 3.4 miles
• Hosted the U.S. Grand Prix in 2012
• Observation tower, a main grandstand with a fabric-clad canopy roof, and a grand plaza with an amphitheater and concession roof structures

• Addition to the Emory University Hospital System in Atlanta, Georgia
• A 10 story hospital building on top of a 4 story below-grade parking deck
• Includes 210 inpatient beds, several operating rooms, imaging and diagnostic rooms, and various ancillary services
• Connected to other hospital sectors through a massive network of single-story and multi-story pedestrian bridges

• Part of a two-year modernization project for the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin
• A functional work of art that serves as the “gateway to Austin” for those arriving in downtown via rail
• Fully open to the air with a perforated metal panel roof for shade and no additional cladding
• Integrated the bridge into the existing hotel structure on a single existing corner column
• The assembled bridge was driven to the site and hoisted into place during a 52-hour placement deadline

• Located in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida
• Houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s work outside of Spain
• Free-form glass system made up of more than 1,200 individual glass panels
• A structure capable of withstanding a 165-mph storm and a storm surge of up to 25 feet
• Unfinished 18-inch cast-in-place concrete walls in lieu of architectural precast
• 2012 FICE Grand Award for Engineering Excellence
• 2012 NCSEA Excellence in Structural Engineering Outstanding Project