Three AISC member erectors earned 2024 Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) Project of the Year awards, two in the miscellaneous metals class and one in the structural class.
Harrisburg, Penn.-based S&R Enterprises earned recognition in Structural Class IV (steel erection contract over $2.5 million) for its work on the Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Launch Complex 36. The complex is the first ground-up construction at Kennedy Space Center in more than 50 years, and its erection contract was valued at more than $46 million.
The project included two 633-ft-tall towers as well as a massive hydraulic pit. In all, 15 modules were constructed and stacked on top of each other, and one module was lifted more than 600 ft high. The heaviest module, weighing 1 million lb, had to be crawled about 100 ft into position using a unique crane configuration.
The scale and complexity of this project required coordination of multiple crews, modular construction techniques so that all trades were used as efficiently as possible, and around-the-clock schedules to meet strict launch deadlines.
Porter Steel, Inc., based in Lilburn, Ga., won the award for Miscellaneous Metals Class II (up to $500,000). It delivered materials for an 8,625-lb architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS) staircase to be installed between the 9th and 10th floors of an Atlanta office building--using an elevator that measured just 5 ft by 8 ft.
The staircase started in Porter Steel’s Lilburn fabrication shop, where they were fabricated in five sections weighing between 1,366 and 2,140 lb each. The sections were rolled into the building on carts, transported in the freight elevator, and rigged and welded at the jobsite. Porter had to manage the weight, size, and logistics to make installation possible in a restricted space.
All Things Metal, LLC--based in Phoenix--won in Miscellaneous Metals Class II (more than $500,000) for setting structural steel by hand in the basement and upper floors of an office-to-hotel conversion project in downtown Phoenix. The 100-year-old office building was converted into a Moxy hotel, and it was hemmed in on one side by a light rail line.
The project demanded a delicate balance between preserving the building’s rich heritage and implementing modern upgrades. Getting steel inside the building and erecting it in the basement and upper floors of the building proved the most challenging aspect of this job, which was compounded by navigating unforeseen structural issues. The building’s foundation, materials, and architectural nuances are reflective of a bygone era, requiring a thorough understanding to ensure that any modifications were seamlessly integrated with the original design.