The South African Institute of Steel Construction (Saisc) Steel Awards attracted not only a record number of entries and sponsors this year, but also greater diversity, CEO Paolo Trinchero says.

He points out that this year’s entries encompass a wider range of stakeholders in the greater built environment, from architects and engineers to riggers, welders and even university students.

The awards, which were celebrated at a ceremony on Thursday evening, highlight the use of steel in the built environment.

Ninety-four entries were submitted this year, compared with the 70 received in 2018 and the 59 received in 2017.

Sponsorship of the Steel Awards also grew by 40%, from ten sponsors in 2018, to 14 this year, Saisc notes.

Trinchero attributes the increase in sponsorship to a restructuring of the awards sponsorship options, which made these more affordable and accessible to potential sponsors.

“Another important factor which definitely contributed to the increased entries and sponsorships in 2019, is the very intensive and dynamic communications campaigns undertaken to market the awards,” he adds, noting that this took place across all platforms from social media to online, print and broadcast media, which also increased the overall visibility and traction of the awards throughout industry.

Meanwhile, Saisc chairperson Nicolette Skjoldhammer explains that the yearly Steel Awards are intended to create a sense of inclusivity and community and to resonate with a more diverse audience along gender, generational and ethnic lines.

This aim was “brilliantly realised” by the entry of the overall 2019 Steel Awards winner and winner of the SAFAL Steel Innovation category, the Durban Christian Centre, she states, explaining that this building was commissioned to replace a church that had burnt down.

The new centre is in the shape of a large dome. The innovation lay in the geometry of the large roof arches, inclined in different planes which provide support for the roof, as well as how tight site access was handled, she says.

The nominator and structural engineer was NJV Consulting, the architect was Elphick Proome Architects and the steelwork contractor was Impact Engineering.

“The members of the Durban Christian Centre project team epitomise all the aspects of diversity which the Saisc is striving for within the steel industry, all working in harmony to achieve an amazingly creative and innovative outcome,” notes Skjoldhammer.

OTHER CATEGORY WINNERS
In the Mitek Industries South Africa Light Steel Framed Building category, the winner was the Protea Glen Secondary School, constructed for the Gauteng Department of Education.

As one of nine schools commissioned by the department, the aim was to adjudicate various building systems and their advantages and how these could create structures conducive to learning.

In the ArcelorMittal South Africa Architectural category, the winning entry was the Peech Hotel located in Melrose, Johannesburg. The architect on this project, Meshworks and structural engineers EVH Consulting, were charged with extending the existing hotel onto a newly acquired adjacent property. Steel was used throughout the project to express a layered architecture of lightness and as a tool in the integration of built form with landscape.

In the Industrial category, the winner’s trophy went to the Omnia Nitro Phosphate Plant constructed for the diversified chemicals group Omnia. The nominator, steelwork contractor and steel erector was SE Steel Fabrication. With tight project deadlines and multiple challenges including working at a height of up to 46 m, this complex plant construction was achieved safely and on time.

The winner in the Global Roofing Solutions Metal Cladding category was a building named the 1054, designed and nominated by architects DMV Architecture, with the main contracting carried out by Jeremy Delport Construction.

In the Saisc Steel Awards Commercial category, the building constructed for KTM Raceworx made innovative use of a steel frame system with cellular beams to support the floors and accommodate heating, ventilation and airconditioning and other services. The nominator in this instance was Macsteel, while the structural engineer and main contractors were JandC Structural and Civil Design.

The Association of Steel Tube and Pipe Manufacturers of South Africa’s Tubular category was won by the structure Fourways Mall Promotions Court.

As part of the upgrade of the Fourways Mall, the new roof is essentially a tubular structure, which is lightweight and aesthetically very pleasing. The nominator and steelwork contractor was Cadcon and the architects Boogertman & Partners.

In the Safintra South Africa Factory and Warehouse category, top honours went to Chilleweni Cold Storage Solutions.

Constructed in Gosforth Park, Germiston, the building’s design approach has given rise to a visually appealing industrial, fit-for-purpose industrial building. The nominator was Global Roofing Solutions, the structural engineers were DG Consulting Engineers and the architect was Empowered Spaces Architects.

The Saisc Steel Awards Bridges category went to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) skybridge, which connects the convention centre with the CTICC’s East Expansion.

This bridge allows the two buildings to function as an integrated unit and epitomises the CTICC’s main purpose of connecting people. The nominator was Anchor Steel Projects, while the architects of this structure were Convention Architects and the steelwork contractor and steel erector was Anchor Steel Projects.

Major sponsors to the Steel Awards include Aveng Trident Steel, which sponsored the Durban and Cape Town events and was the national entertainment sponsor; and BSI Steel, which sponsored the Johannesburg event.

“In light of the current economic pressures which we face in South Africa, we are hugely encouraged by industry’s response to, and involvement in, this year’s Steel Awards – the sponsorship, the number of awards and the diversity of every aspect from the entries to the judging panel and sponsors,” Trinchero says.

He adds that South Africa needs a healthy and vibrant steel construction industry and that this year’s successful Steel Awards event will “do much to showcase not only the capabilities of steel as a material of construction – but those of all the amazing people who work throughout the entire sector to promote the future sustainability of our industry”.