Good news for women in construction! While the percentage is still a significantly low number, women in construction made a significant gain last year, now representing a little more than 14% of the construction workforce (Source: Construction Dive). The Washington Post reported in a November 2022 article, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of women in construction has hit a record high. Women surged into the industry starting around 2016, even as the number of men in construction lagged.” Recognizing women in the field is one way to recruit and retain more women into positions in the construction industry. Here’s a rundown of the different ways women are being recognized across the industry.
In celebration of this week’s International Women’s Day and Women in Construction Week, Magnificent Metal Monday travels to Kayonza, Rwanda, to highlight an architectural project designed by acclaimed female-owned Sharon Davis Design and constructed to help empower women. Now reaching a decade, the SharonDavis Design firm collaborated with the humanitarian organization Women for Women International in 2013 to create the Women’s Opportunity Center (WOC) in order to energize the small community’s subsistence-agriculture economy through female empowerment.
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) has announced its annual Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Award winners for 2023. These awards are the industry’s most prestigious design honor, recognizing projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel and highlighting the many ways steel can help express architectural intent while harnessing its unique advantages for both simple and complex structural systems. This year’s winners are a mix of adaptive reuse and brand-new structures.
AISC President Charles J. Carter, SE, PE, PhD., says, “I love how this year’s winners not only use steel to create modern masterpieces but also take full advantage of steel’s unique ability to give a second life to structures that would otherwise be demolished.” Winners are listed below, separated into the categories of “Less than $15 million,” “$15 – $75 million,” “$75 to $200 million,” and “Greater than $200 million.”
For 37 years and 42 years respectively, Metal Architecture magazine and Metal Construction News have been publishing annual surveys of the industry, looking at the results of prior years and speculating about the upcoming year. The last few years have been unparalleled in terms of the challenges the industry has faced and they want to know if the industry has settled back on its original path or will it continue to face challenges. Please take a few minutes to submit your surveys.
The American Institute of Steel Construction’s (AISC) annual Forge Prize competition celebrates emerging architects who create visionary designs that embrace steel as the primary structural component while exploring ways to increase project speed. AISC recently announced the three finalists, who will each take home $5,000 from the first round, will now have the opportunity to work with a steel fabricator before presenting their final concepts to the judges during a live YouTube event in late March. The winner will take home a $10,000 grand prize and be invited to present before an audience of the industry’s best minds at NASCC: The Steel Conference in April.
Taking a look at what’s new in the world of CONTECH for this year, ConstructionDive reports new releases including new products and updates from eTakeoff, eMod, Topcon, RedTeam and AirBolt, all aimed to help contractors keep construction projects running on time and on budget. In their 2023 outlook, Associate Editor, Matthew Thibault says, “Technology will be a key driver of progress and efficiency in 2023, and experts believe that the benefits are too useful to ignore in such tumultuous times.”
Designed by Studio Libeskind, the extension to the Royal Ontario Museum, located in downtown Toronto, truly represents the versatility of how the use of metal can bring art and design to life. Now almost five years now since the extension opened, the ROM is considered the largest Museum in Canada and attracts more than a million visitors a year. It’s new name “Michael Lee-Chin Crystal,” is derived from the building’s five intersecting metal-clad volumes, reminiscent of crystals were inspired by the crystalline forms in the Museum’s mineralogy galleries.
Industry Experts Agree Metal is Well Positioned for 2023 and Beyond
In the first METALCONLive! of the new year, Paul Deffenbaugh, editorial director of Modern Trade Communications, led a discussion with leading industry experts about the state of the metal construction industry and what we can expect this year. According to Jeff Henry, MBA, CAE, executive director of the Metal Construction Association, “The industry is strong, but we still face challenges in 2023.” From an architects standpoint, Brent Schipper, AIA, LEED AP, founding principal of ASK Studio, is not feeling quite as optimistic as they are starting to see their backlogs starting to drop, but feels “the pace of construction in 2023 will become the most critical priority.” Renee Ramsey, director of the Metal Roofing Alliance, shared data from their 2021 study saying, “We saw a 17% market share in the residential reroof market, which is a primary audience for metal roofing. While not a huge increase, we are happy to see it continue to move in an upward pace.”
Brent Schipper, AIA, LEED AP, founding principal, ASK Studio\Jeff Henry, MBA, CAE, Executive Director, Metal Construction AssociationRenee Ramey, Executive Director, Metal Roofing AllianceContinue reading →
In less than 24 hours, join us for the first METALCONLive! of the year!
Get answers to these burning questions about the year ahead —
Will the packed production schedules continue?
Are supply chain challenges finally fading?
What design trends will your clients be demanding and which ones are destined to be yesterday’s news?
Reserve your “seat” now for tomorrow’s METALCONLive! at 1pm EST. Our panel of experts representing every corner of the metal construction industry will share their observations, thoughts, and opinions on where we are now and where we’ll be this time next year.
In just one week, join us for the first METALCONLive! of the year, next Wednesday, 1/18, LIVE at 1pm EST for “The 2023 State of the Metal Construction Industry” presented by METALCONLive! and Metal Construction News. REGISTER NOW!
Do you want answers to these burning questions about the year ahead?
Will the packed production schedules continue?
Are supply chain challenges finally fading?
What design trends will your clients be demanding and which ones are destined to be yesterday’s news?
If you answered yes to any of them, then reserve your “seat” today for next week’s METALCONLive! on January 18 at 1pm EST. Our panel of experts representing every corner of the metal construction industry will share their observations, thoughts, and opinions on where we are now and where we’ll be this time next year.
As the new year begins, we travel around the world to look at some exciting projects planned to open this year as compiled by ArchDaily, ranging in scale and program, from international airports to sculptural arts galleries or museum expansions. With a mix of cultural and commercial programs, the designs are located across five continents, with many under construction for multiple years. While all of the projects listed are incredible on so many levels, we’ve highlighted few stand-outs as to their use of metal to accomplish the unique design goals of the project.
According to Construction Dive, “The industry will continue to face labor shortages, high materials costs and other headwinds, but infrastructure will be a bright spot.” Top construction economists say much like in 2022, signals are mixed. In a recent article, they took a look at five key indicators and what they suggest for contractors in the year ahead.
Congratulations to Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, for being awarded the 2023 AIA Gold Medal, AIA’s highest honor. Barney is the founder of her eponymous Chicago firm and is only the second woman to individually receive the award. The award honors an individual or pair whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.
Recognized by Architectural Digest as a 2022 Work of Wonder, this winning project also won first place in the 2022 MCA Design Awards for the Single-Skin Metal Wall Panel category, as announced at METALCON in October. Spanning 250 feet over an active railyard, the Park Union Pedestrian Bridge in Colorado Springs, Colorado, connects visitors to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum with America the Beautiful Park. According to the MCA Design Award judges, “This pedestrian, bike, and wheelchair-friendly bridge looks like a sculpture, truly an outstanding level of craftsmanship.”
With the sounds, tastes and smells of Thanksgiving still fresh in our minds, let’s travel to Thanksgiving Station, a relatively new residential and commercial mixed-use community located within Thanksgiving Point, located in Lehi, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. Appropriately named to express gratitude after receiving the land as a gift from her husband, wife of tech giant WordPerfect co-founder first established Thanksgiving Point in 1995 as a nonprofit indoor and outdoor farm, garden and museum complex. Much growth and expansion has occurred over the past 20 years including the Thanksgiving Station Office Park, a 1,000,000-square-foot mixed-use development that has offices, restaurants, fitness centers, a park and access to public transportation.
When architecture firm Beecher Walker sought to create the 150,000 square-foot building Thanksgiving Station 3, the fourth of five buildings, to embody the innovation associated with prospective tech company tenants, they turned to a design that integrated boxy forms clad with metal composite material (MCM) and glazing.
Last month at METALCON, Paul Deffenbaugh, editorial director of Metal Construction News, moderated a state of the industry panel featuring Tony Bouquot, general manager of the Metal Builders Manufacturers Association (MBMA); Jennifer Heimburger, president of the Metal Builders Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA); Chuck Howard, long-time industry veteran and president of Metal Roof Consultants; and Alan Scott, FAIA, registered architect and sustainability practitioner with Intertek. They discussed supply chain issues, rising costs, the labor shortage and workforce development.
Last week at METALCON 2022, the Metal Construction Association announced the winners of their MCA 2022 Design Awards. Positioned down the show floor’s “power aisle,” the projects were on display for everyone to see while walking from exhibitor to exhibitor. The new awards program serves to recognize MCA member companies for their contributions to making an architect’s designs come alive with metal in construction. Lori Reynolds Morrow, LEED Green Associate at Sheffield Metals International, was the emcee for the awards presentation during METALCON.
A panel of architects along with MCA members, judged submissions based on overall appearance, significance of metal in the project, and innovative use of metal. Winners were announced in the categories of Custom and Ornamental, Insulated Metal Panels, Metal Composite Material Panels, Single-Skin Panels, Roofs – Commercial and Residential, and Retrofit.
Welcome to the last day — the final lap — of METALCON ’22! If it’s anything like the first two days, you won’t want to miss today! Join us at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis in Exhibit Halls I, J, and K. The action kicks off at 10:00 AM when the show floor opens and it will be non-stop until 2:00 pm with education, exhibits, raffle drawings, and more!
Beginning at 10:00 AM, learn from some of the best in the industry at final two education sessions: Under Pressure: An Update to Air Leakage Testing in the Technical Know-How Learning Center at 10 am and The History and Future of Metal Retrofit Roofing in the Best Practices Learning Center at 10:15 am. Head to the IMP Pavilion at 10:30 am for their final education session on IMPs: Best Practices.
Welcome to Day Two of METALCON ’22! Navigate METALCON with your fingertips by downloading the METALCON APP from Google Play or App Store by searching METALCON2022.
Join us at 10:00 AM for a dynamic keynote address with American IndyCar Series driver, Josef Newgarden, as he presents The Road to Success. The Exhibits open at 11:00 AM with a full day of education sessions in the Technical Know-How, Sustainability, and Best Practices Learning Centers.
Welcome to Day One of METALCON ’22! Navigate METALCON with your fingertips! Easily find exhibitors, education sessions, show floor experiences all at a simple touch of the fingers. Accept “notifications” from the APP to receive up to the minute reminders of special events happening each day of the show. Download the app from from Google Play or App Store by searching METALCON2022.
The show officially kicks off this morning at 8:30 AM with the opening keynote address, There’s No Such Thing as a Free Thermodynamic Lunch – How Changing Energy Flow Changes Everything, presented by Joseph Lstiburek, President of Building Sciences Corporation (in room 135), followed by a second keynote at 10:00 am in the Main Theatre on the show floor, Leading for Today and Tomorrow, presented by Dr. Melissa Furman. The exhibits will open at 11:00 AM. In between meeting with exhibitors, take advantage of the education sessions happening all day in the Main Theater, or Learning Centers.
Super-Charge Your Metal Knowledge at METALCON ’22— Learn from Metal Hall of Famers
With METALCON ’22 roaring into Indianapolis this week, it’s time to make your final plans to maximize your time at the most influential metal construction and design event in the world. While meeting with exhibitors is an essential part of the event, so can learning from experts to super-charge your knowledge. Here is your “ultimate road-map” to navigating the show floor, where EVERYTHING happens ON THE SHOW FLOOR … AND … included in your Total Experience registration (see FLOOR PLAN). REGISTER HERE!
METALCON is thrilled to welcome four MCN Hall of Famers as presenters this year including:
With only 7 days to go until we gather in Indianapolis for METALCON ’22, you won’t want to miss these special events happening on the show floor. From “Social Networking Bingo,” to an exclusive “Future Leaders” program and Happy Hour … from the specialty IMP Pavilion to the new Metal Building Marketplace … and from “The Architect’s Experience” curated for architects and design professionals to an “Indy 500 Race Car Simulator,” sponsored by CIDAN Machinery … there is truly something for everyone at this year’s show. Read on for details of each event …
In today’s economy, it’s more important than ever to have your business run smoothly and maximize every employee’s time and every dollar you spend on running your business. Sessions in the METALCON Best Practices Learning Center will feature industry experts who will provide you with solid, sensible advice and the tried and true techniques, tools and strategies you need to ensure your business’s growth and success. Join us at METALCON in a few weeks scheduled for October 12 – 14 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Sustainability is on our minds now more than ever. Knowing how important “real-time” information is for the metal design and construction community, METALCON’s Sustainability Learning Center is a special educational hub dedicated to helping you capitalize on this critical issue. Conveniently located on the show floor, learn current and relevant information on sustainability practices and products for metal buildings from leading industry experts and discover new ways to deal with that nasty “C” word: Carbon.
For over 30 years, METALCON has been a place for new ideas, inspiration, connections, and most importantly, ANSWERS to the questions that keep you up at night. Code compliance? Fire prevention? Rain Screen Assembly? Air Flow? These topics and more will be tackled in our Technical Know-How Learning Center. Conveniently located on the show floor, respected thought leaders will share proven strategies and technical how-to’s to address the challenges impacting your business right now (and help you sleep better at night!).
With the recent passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, United Kingdom’s longest-reigning monarch, we take a look at the impact of her reign over the architectural style of buildings in London over the past 70 years. ArchDaily’s “The Architectural Legacy of Queen Elizabeth’s 70 Year Reign,” reflects upon her legacy in terms of culture, technology, and architecture.
When she first came to the throne in 1952, according to The Guardian, the tallest building in Britain was St Paul’s Cathedral. Today, London’s skyline is marked by glass and steel office towers, many measuring over 500 feet in height, marking an end to low-rise buildings being one of the city’s trademarks.
According to the article, “Through the decades, Modernism marked the postwar period in England, with its variation, Brutalism, being the prevailing architectural style for new housing estates in Britain throughout the 1970s. The 1980s brought a slow down of Britain’s investment in public and social buildings, thus the influence of the state upon the architectural agenda also diminished … the statement architecture of private capital came to influence the image of UK’s development. Glass and steel towers now define the appearance not only in London, but in many of the UK’s major cities. New monuments like Norman Foster’s The Gherkin or Renzo Piano’s The Shard have little to no connection to England’s architectural traditions but instead aim to create a globally recognizable image and stimulate local economic growth. There is no linear stylistic development, but representative buildings have taken cues from the High-Tech movement in the 1990s, as exemplified by Lloyd’s building in London, Post-Modernism, in the case of Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, designed by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, or Deconstructivism, as in Daniel Libeskind’s Imperial War Museum North.”
London skyline overlooking the Thames from The Globe Theatre; Photo Credit: Nancy Reilly
While overseeing the architectural landscape of the city was not the monarch’s primary obligation, it will be hard for architectural communities and historians to overlook Queen Elizabeth II’s impact and legacy over the past 70 years. The article states, “Whereas the Queen’s forbears sealed their legacies by commissioning cities, palaces, and cathedrals, the Queen has been discreet in expressing interest in directly influencing the built environment. It might be a little early to assess it. Still, maybe in the future, with the added benefit of hindsight, we might appreciate Elizabeth II’s era as one of progress, innovation, and constantly improving quotidian comforts.”
For a deeper dive into the relationship of architecture and metal and its impact on cities and communities, we invite you to join us next month for The Architect’s Experience at METALCON, a “show-within-a-show” produced in partnership with AECDaily, offering design professionals an intimate look at how metal can help you solve your toughest architectural, structural, environmental, and building performance challenges. METALCON ’22 takes place October 12-14 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The program features founding principal of Building Science Corporation, Dr. Joe Lstiburek, who will delve into the world of energy flow with his keynote address, “There’s No Such Thing as a Free Thermodynamic Lunch – How Changing Energy Flow Changes Everything.” In addition, get a special architects-only guided tour of the show floor, exclusive networking opportunities with key manufacturers of metal products, and the opportunity to earn up to 19 AIA LU’s including 12 HSWs with 25+ expert-led education sessions curated for design professionals.
In one month, the metal construction community will come together in Indianapolis for the most influential metal construction and design event in the world. While we know most of your time will be spent inside the convention center, there is much to enjoy outside. October is one of Indy’s comfortable autumn weather months with very low humidity and average temperatures in the low to mid 60s, perfect for exploring the city during non-show hours. In addition to the dining scene, Indy’s unique collection of attractions offer a variety of experiences for all ages and interests. An easy way to explore in a short amount of time is to take advantage of Indy’s Attraction Pass with their 1-or 3-day pass option.
It doesn’t get bigger than this! Learn directly from the man responsible for the development and publication of the AISI S250 standard during this FREE webinar happening tomorrow, September 7, at 1:00 pm. Join Jonathan Humble, regional director of construction codes and standards for the American Iron and Steel Institute, as he introduces and clarifies AISI S250, North American Standard for Thermal Transmittance of Building Envelopes with Cold-Formed Steel Framing.
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