Do you know some dazzling and award-winning structural buildings in the country?
The 2013 IDEAS2 Awards Program
In the 2013 awards program, IDEAS2 (Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel) conducted yearly by the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction), 13 structural steel building projects were given national recognition. The AISC-hosted awards program gives recognition to outstanding achievements in architecture and engineering on steel-framed building projects throughout the country.
The highest honor bestowed on building projects by the structural steel industry in the US, the IDEAS2 also recognizes the importance of collaboration, coordination and teamwork in the achievement of successful construction projects. Awards for each winning project are presented to the project team members involved in the design and construction of the structural framing system including the:
- Architect
- Structural engineer
- General contractor
- Detailer
- Erector
- Fabricator
- Owner
NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, NC
The design team sought to capture the essential spirit of NASCAR and the sport in architectural form and concentrated on the racecourse, the arena of action, where race teams and fans come together every race week to enjoy the spectacle of car racing.
Recognized with the NATIONAL AWARD, The NASCAR Hall of Fame featured curving and sloped forms achieved through the use of steel as cladding and as structure. The highlight of the structure’s distinct design which captured speed and spectacle and translated into an architectural element is the “Ribbon”.
The design team used 5,000 panels of stainless steel which enveloped the full-block building in a form that is reflective of the imagery and spirit of NASCAR. The “Ribbon” is a sculpted form made of stainless steel in lustrous angel-hair finish that changes as it wraps around the building.
The “Ribbon” is supported by the lateral-load resisting system of the façade which doubles as a braced frame. An extensive steel framing system, where appropriate, used in 300 series stainless steel standard washers to secure critical joining points.
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
The MERIT AWARD winner, the 675,000 square-foot Barclay’s Center arena is home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. It features an 85-foot open canopy spanning the entrance, 18,103 seats, and an ice floor for hockey and other similar events.
The design highlight of the arena is the weathered Cor-ten steel lattice that envelopes the structure consisting of rows of 12,000 pre-weathered steel panels that wrap around the exterior and the entrance cantilevered canopy. A prominent design feature is façade supported by nearly an additional 1,000 tons of steel.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Springfield, Virginia
Recognized with a MERIT AWARD is the 2.4 million square-foot campus called New Campus East (NCE) designed to enhance the capability of the NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) as one of the leading intelligence organizations of the world. In addition, the design team aimed to achieve a unifying cultural transformation which was translated in the 9-story Main Office Building design.
Two curved overlapping bars, 900 feet long around a 500-foot long elliptical auditorium and central atrium formed the shape of a lens which is a fitting architectural expression of the agency’s role as the nation’s eyes for the purpose of US defense, disaster relief and national security.
The 2.2 million square-foot 9-story Main Office Building is the second largest single occupancy building in the world, next to Pentagon. A glazed curtain wall system at the west end of the atrium allowed the central atrium and building interior to be filled with natural light, aside from the atrium roof covered with a transparent fabric membrane.
Article Sources:
http://www.bdcnetwork.com
http://www.nickelinstitute.org
When I look at this building structure, I’d say that is fittingly represents the spirit of NASCAR in the sense that the building exterior looks like a futuristic race track resembling a HOT Wheels race track. Anyone who has ever bought one of those toy race car sets for themselves or a child can relate to my comparison. I am not a fan of race cars, but I would like to visit this hall of fame one day in the not so distant future.
The NASCAR builders of this structure must know their stuff. There’s good reason they used steel as the primary source for their hall of fame. Steel is recognized as a mainstay by builders, steel offers functionality, durability and strength along with environmental benefits. It is dimensionally stable and can be provided in exact sizes, which helps reduce building site waste. When it comes to reusing old steel materials, the magnetic properties of the metal make it easy to separate and move.