Steel Awards Showcase Local Industry’s Strength And Innovation

Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) is pleased to announce the results of 2022’s SCNZ Excellence in Steel Awards. The winners were announced on 4 November in Nelson, where more than 200 structural steel industry leaders and specialists gathered to celebrate the best of the best at an event that showcases the sector’s commitment to innovation, best practice and collaboration.

Judges whittled 56 award entries down to 21 finalists, which demonstrate the exceptional design and execution possible when steel is used as the principal construction material.

SCNZ chair David Moore says: “The high calibre of projects presented at the 2022 awards is a reflection of the skills, experience and commitment of our industry’s people. It’s what sets our local structural steel sector apart from the rest of the world, which is so important in a post-COVID environment when local expertise continue to be in high demand.”

The 2022 winners are:

• Supreme Winner and $1.5M-$3M category winner: D&H Steel Construction for NL2A Shared Pathway

Steel features heavily in the Shared Path, which follows the geometry of the existing KiwiRail tracks. The pathway comprises several different steel applications including elevated helical boardwalks, balustrades and handrails, and a new pedestrian bridge. Sited over rough terrain and waterways, D&H Steel provided value engineering to make the 2.9km mostly off-road pathway buildable and practicable.

• Under $500K category: John Jones Steel for Te Aika Sculpture

The sculpture, which is 8m high and 10m wide, was fabricated in one piece to ensure it was symmetrical before being split apart for transport and painting. Designed by two Ngāi Tahu artists, it will sit on the Avon riverbank and form a ngutu, or entranceway, to the Te Pae convention centre in Christchurch.

• $500K-$1.5M: John Jones Steel for the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor Bridges

The three architecturally designed bridges that cross the Avon River in Medway, Avondale and Snell, are an important feature in the area’s regeneration. To achieve the desired look, the hollow steel sections were induction bent and an anti-graffiti, UV-resistant topcoat of paint was applied. The 45m-long, 4.5m-high, 3m-wide bridges were trial assembled in John Jones Steel’s workshop to ensure accuracy before being seamlessly installed.

• Over $3M: Aurecon and D&H Steel Construction for Puhinui Station Interchange

Puhinui interchange is a striking transport hub that supports the shift to low-carbon transport options. The steel structure was driven by bold architectural requirements, which included complex structures like curved welded beams, V-shape columns, three-dimensional trusses and difficult connection geometries.

• Earthquake Strengthening: Petone Engineering for Generator – Waring Taylor

The façade of this heritage building in Wellington has been retained and character features including exposed structural steel, timber and brickwork have been incorporated into the design. Strengthening work brought the structure up to 100 percent of the New Building Standard and involved adding new five-storey shear walls and a full-height structural steel K-frame. The new skeleton preserves the original 1920’s steelwork and adds substantial strength in a visually appealing way.

• Standalone Residential: VIP Structural Steel for Rocking Horse Road

The home’s design references Christchurch buildings of the 1960s with its use of embossed blockwork and structural steel. The external spiral staircase and internal floating stairs are the main structural features of this build and could only be achieved using steel. Both staircases were completely assembled off site and transported as one. The home’s design has resulted in a smart structure to overcome the challenges of building in a floodplain.

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