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.”
Published on March 1, the MCN 41st Annual Contractor Survey sees a robust market environment in the metal construction industry, comparable to the overall construction market. Metal builders, roofers, wall panel contractors and light-gauge steel contractors all report that 2021 was better than 2020 and they anticipate 2022 being even better. According to survey respondents, MCN reports that metal building construction increased 12.9% in 2021, seeing a metal roofing 9.3% increase, metal wall panels 2.5% increase and light-gauge steel framing up 9.5% for exteriors and 3% for interiors.
According to BigRentz, Inc., the largest equipment rental network in the nation, “2022 will be a year of reemergence and growth in the construction industry despite rising construction costs and labor shortages.”
They added, “Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how the construction industry does business, from scheduling and closing projects to hiring workers to meeting with clients. Looking forward, many industry trends will be affected by the fallout from the pandemic. New technology continues to change the construction site, improve the ability to win projects, and increase profit margins. Trends and movements are changing the roles of industry professionals and frontline workers.”
METALCON honors the magnificent women in our industry as this week marks Women in Construction Week (WIC) 2021! The focus is to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry. WIC Week also provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities.
NAWIC members can expect a wide variety of WIC Week events this year, however most of the events will be held virtually due to ongoing COVID-19 safety restrictions.
Despite the pandemic, construction carried on and the “top lists” of this year’s architectural marvels are rolling in. ConstructConnect‘s criteria for inclusion on their list boiled down to the following items: The building had to have been substantially completed, topped out, or opened within the calendar year and had to have some aspect that makes the building “cool.” What does this mean? In their terms, it can range from the architecture, sustainability elements, unique construction methods, technology, building materials used, cultural impact, or some combination of these elements. This year, “cool” appears equivalent to “sustainability” along with an “eye on the future.”
BD+C Platinum Winner Emory University Student Center
As the year begins to wind down, awards and recognitions begin to roll in. Building Design + Construction just announced the winners of their 22nd annual Building Team Awards program, which celebrates excellence in team collaboration and design/construction solutions. Among the 12 winners are one platinum award, five gold awards, three silver awards, two bronze awards, and one honorable mention. While it was not a judged element, it is interesting to see the use of metal in the design and construction of each project.
This year’s sole Platinum honoree goes to LEED Platinum Emory University Student Center, where students were uniquely and intimately involved in the design. Echoing the comments of many of the judges, Anthony Grumbine, AIA, Principal, Harrison Design (and a BD+C “40 Under 40” honoree) saluted Emory and the project team for their “excellent involvement of students,” the high level of sustainable design, and the delicate preservation of Alumni Memorial Union Center.
METALCONLive! made a robust return this week with a peek into the “future.” Normally we would be gathering for the annual, in-person event this month — METALCONLive! makes it possible to be together “virtually.” As Director Judy Geller said in her opening remarks, “We can’t have our live event as usual, but that doesn’t mean we have abandoned our mission of bringing together buyers, sellers, manufacturers and suppliers of metal for use in design and construction.”
Moderator, Frank Stasiowski, FAIA and METALCON Co-Founder in partnership with the Metal Construction Association, along with a “blue-ribbon” panel of experts, tackled the issues surrounding market changes for the construction and metal construction industry, and what to expect heading into next year.
Panelists included Tony Bouquot, General Manager, Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), Paul Giovannoni, Managing Director, FMI Corporation, and Alan Scott, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Senior Consultant, Building Science Solutions at Intertek. Unfortunately Dr. Sarah Skidmore, Leadership Development Consultant and Executive Coach with Skidmore Consulting, had to cancel due to illness. We wish her well and hope to welcome her on a future MCLive! program.
BREAKING NEWS! “PEDAL TO THE METAL” – METALCON 2020 IS ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR LAS VEGAS, OCTOBER 21-23!
Join us TODAY from 1:00 – 2:15 PM EST for this special LIVE and ONLINE Las Vegas Episode of METALCONLive! when we answer questions about our 30th anniversary event with special guests, featuring Brian Yost, COO with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
“Buy America” – Cost of Capital Is at Its Lowest in Decades
Steel Dynamics Inc., Hopes to Make U.S. More “Steel Sufficient” with Construction of its New Steel Mill
Continued Focus on Training and Education Will Be Key for Greater Usage of Metal
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued to highlight “Build Back Better” with a special focus on steel with guests Brian Smallwood, Market Manager-Construction for Steel Dynamics, Inc., and Marines Hagemann, Director of Client Experience for Allied Steel Buildings.
What’s happening in the steel industry and how will it affect your metal construction bids and contracts?
This burning question and more will be answered today during METALCONLive! Register now for your virtual seat and join us at 1:00 PM for this robust conversation.
Over the weekend, history was made when the United States returned to launching American astronauts from American soil. The SpaceX Crew Dragon aboard the Falcon 9 rocket docked successfully with the International Space Station 19 hours after the successful launch (NASA). But this time it was different — they were lifted off in a commercial spacecraft aboard a commercial rocket.
CONTECH will make its return at METALCON 2020, scheduled for October 21-23 in Las Vegas! To help us better serve you, please complete this 2-minute TECHNOLOGY SURVEY.
TECHNOLOGY TOOLS AND RESOURCES
CONTECH made its debut on the show floor last year at METALCON 2019 and provided an interactive hub that showcased the game-changing technologies shaping the construction industry today and tomorrow.
Since the pandemic crisis started, industries around the globe have been forced to pivot and find new ways to work during the lockdowns. Before we knew it, the use of technology in the construction arena made a quick transition from “good to have” to being a necessity. From mobile technology to aerial photography to video conferencing, the industry is discovering a whole new way to work and while doing so, re-designing the business model. Digital engagement is here to stay!
Technology has been discussed in several of our new weekly METALCONLive! broadcast events so we thought we would provide you with some of the resources and tools mentioned over the past several weeks.
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued the focus on “Build Back Better” with special guest Mark Kalin (FAIA, FCSI, LEED), President of Kalin Associates Specifications and highly experienced specification writer, author, speaker and registered architect. See below for Mark’s valuable insight of the specifications industry and strategies to leverage more metal sales with architects.
Metal is Changing Perception in Residential & Commercial Design & Usage
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued the focus of “Build Back Better” with special guests Ken Gieske of McElroy Metals and Ray Smith of Australia-based AppliCad Software. Read on for important take-aways from last week’s discussion and REGISTER today for this week’s METALCONLive! as we welcome expert specification writer and architect, Mark Kalin of Kalin Associates Specifications.
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, have begun shifting the focus away from crisis-mode to how the industry can “build back better.” Special guests Paul Lechiara, owner of East Coast Metal Roofing, and Bobby Darnell, principal of Construction Market Consultants, Inc., joined the discussion to offer their sales and marketing strategies implemented during the lockdown, which have proven to be successful.
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, led last week’s robust discussion addressing current challenges and workarounds to the current coronavirus crisis. Their special guests included Danny Kerr, managing partner of Breakthrough Academy and Adam Mazella, executive vice president of Sheffield Metals.
It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since METALCONLive! first launched. We can’t thank you enough for your support and participation. METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, led last week’s robust discussion addressing current challenges and workarounds to the current coronavirus crisis. Joining them for this lively discussion were special guests Heidi J. Ellsworth, partner with RoofersCoffeeShop® and owner of HJE Consulting and Scott Hutchings, sales director of U.S. Construction with SFS.
Metal Contractors and Manufacturers ARE Still at Work
Take Care of your People
For the third week in a row, METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, welcomed everyone last Wednesday, 4/15, to our FREE weekly “no-BS discussion” of challenges and workarounds happening in real time. Rob and Frank were joined by special guests Tony Buoquot, general manager of MBMA and Miguel Pena, sales, marketing and operations at GSSI Sealants, also a Metal Construction Association Board Member.
Discover the science of wind uplift and how it is changing. Understand how the changes are impacting codes and roof material choices. Learn about testing and specification techniques for metal roof options and accessories to improve wind uplift resistance, providing a safer building at a lower cost. This course will also address wind uplift in severe weather conditions and how to increase wind uplift resistance to protect both the buildings and its inhabitants. You’ll see examples of hurricane-stricken areas and what builders are doing to minimize damage. Finally, you’ll learn about the associated changes in code. Register Now.
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 22 AT 1:00 PM EST (jueves, el 23 de abril 2020 1.00 p.m. EST)
WHAT: Las Mejores Practicas para Instalar Paneles Solares sobre Techos Metálicos
Descripción del Curso: Con la alta demanda de energías renovables en estos tiempos, propietarios de edificios y residencias, comienzan a utilizar la energía solar como un generador esencial. Elegir la superficie correcta sobre dónde instalar los paneles solares, es muy importante para el proceso del diseño, el impacto económico inicial y al largo plazo. Este curso es acerca de los beneficios de instalar paneles solares sobre techos metálicos, los distintos tipos de sistemas de montajes, la distribución de los paneles, pruebas de rendimiento para fijaciones y sus comparaciones en costos. Register Now.
Previous S-5! webinars can be found on their website and can still be viewed. We hope you will take advantage of these great educational opportunities. If you have any questions for the folks at S-5!, please contact them at support@s-5.com.
METALCON honors the magnificent women in our industry as this week marks Women in Construction Week (WIC) 2020! The focus is to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry. WIC Week also provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) was founded in 1953 as Women in Construction of Fort Worth, Texas. Seeing that women represented only a fraction of the construction industry workforce, 16 women founded NAWIC to create a support network for others like themselves. Women in Construction of Fort Worth was so successful that it gained its national charter in 1955 and became the National Association of Women in Construction. Today, NAWIC provides its members with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service and more.
NAWIC Chapters nationwide are hosting special activities all week. Check out the calendar of events on NAWIC’s Facebook page.
Architect Renzo Piano’s orb-shaped, glass-domed theater building, which with a transformed May Co. building will form the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
“And the Oscar goes to” … if you tuned into last night’s award’s ceremony, you may have seen Tom Hanks giving a preview of the $388-million dollar Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, scheduled to open in December 2020. Designed by Pritzker-Prize winning architect Renzo Piano with Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Gensler, the new museum will be situated on the famed “Miracle Mile,” and will preserve and breathe new life into the former 1939 May Company department store, now re-named the Saban Building.
According to Construction Dive, “Aluminum components are being 3D printed with the resulting v-shaped nodes and connected squares of curtain wall forming a dramatic slope from the fourth to 40th floors. Aside from the impressive aesthetic, this method of production can also more easily accommodate last-minute changes.”
The article goes on to explain, “Structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) started out planning to use a reinforced concrete core for the building, said firm CEO Ron Klemencic, and about halfway into the project, it was clear that the tower would be too expensive and was going to take too long to build, making it economically unfeasible for the building’s owner, developer Wright Runstad & Co.” So after tabling the project for over a year, they needed an idea that would “jumpstart the project without busting the budget.”
Next-generation innovations were the focus this past weekend at the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas. CES is the world’s gathering place for those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The show has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years. So with innovation and technology in mind, METALCON’s MMM focuses on drones in construction and how far they’ve come over the past several years. Construction Dive recently took a deeper look into the subject in their new series, “Tech 101.”
In a recent article, Construction Dive offers five predictions on how construction will evolve in this New Year. Here are the top trends to expect in 2020 in the nation’s second-largest industry:
Scrutiny into structural processes will aim to make catastrophes more impossible.
Modular will see more momentum in the market.
Diversity and equity come to the forefront through contract mandates.
Automation will deliver efficiencies on jobsites without stealing jobs.
Top contractors will continue to reconsider megaprojects with inherently high-risk contracts.
For Magnificent Metal Monday, let’s look ahead into the New Year with ArchDaily’s Top 20 Most Anticipated Projects for 2020. Designed across a wide range of scales, they represent a mix of interconnected landscapes, museums, and the world’s newest skyscrapers located across five continents, with many under construction for multiple years. Three of these projects are new skyscrapers joining the skylines of three major US cities including Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
Construction Dive has launched a new tool to map high-impact construction projects across the United States. Construction is an engine that powers the U.S. economy. Across the country, large-scale projects are shaping communities by enabling industry, improving transit and meeting changing demand for commercial space and housing.
Laser scanned 3D image of Notre Dame; Andrew Tallon/Vassar College via National Geographic
Thanks to cutting-edge image technology, the daunting task of rebuilding a near 900 year old building will be possible. According to an article published last week in Futurism, “Thanks to the meticulous work of Vassar art historian Andrew Tallon, every exquisite detail and mysterious clue to the building’s 13th-century construction was recorded in a digital archive in 2015 using laser imaging. These records have revolutionized our understanding of how the spectacular building was built — and could provide a template for how Paris could rebuild.”
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of METALCON 2019, may be seeing a $700 million city enhancement project come to fruition in the near future. According to Construction Dive, local developer Millcraft Investments provided more information last week about the Esplanade, its planned $700 million, 15-acre mixed-use development along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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