Photos courtesy American Galvanizers Association
The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) has announced the 17 winners of its 2017 Excellence in Hot-dip Galvanizing Awards, selected from among 120 innovative, versatile hot-dip galvanizing projects. In total, 15 projects were celebrated for excellence in various categories, with two specific projects noted as winners of the prestigious Most Distinguished and Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Excellence Awards
Both U.S. and Canadian organizations were recognized with AGA Awards this year.
Various divisions of AZZ Galvanizing earned awards with:
- Minnesota Vikings Legacy Ship (Minneapolis, Minnesota) in the artistic category;
- Rubb USA Aircraft Hangar–Rockford International Airport (Illinois) in the building and architecture category;
- Sharon Fields (Alleghany County, Virginia) in the civic contributions category; and
- McKinney Aquatics Center (Texas) in the recreation and entertainment category.
Corbec Inc. was awarded for:
- Place Alta Pergola (Terrebonne, Québec) in duplex systems; and
- Olymel Saint-Esprit (Québec) in food and agriculture.
Valmont Coatings (Miami Galvanizing and Industrial Galvanizing, respectively) earned awards for:
- Dog Shelter (Doral, Florida) in duplex systems; and
- Melbourne University Arts Faculty Redevelopment (Australia) in the international category.
Valmont Coatings–Tampa Galvanizing also paired up with South Atlantic LLC (Mulberry and Shannon plants) for Volcano Bay at Florida’s Universal Orlando, which earned an award in the water and marine category. Similarly, Galvanisation Québec and Corbec Inc. collaborated on Snow Scrapers and Blowers in Québec City to win in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) category. The two companies also teamed up for the Maritime Link Project (converter stations) in Bottom Brook, Newfoundland, and Woodbine, Nova Scotia, which won in the electrical, utility, and communications category.
Galvanisation Québec was also awarded for Ste-Marie de Beauce multipurpose overpass (Québec) in the bridge and highway category. Finally, V&S Columbus Galvanizing LLC earned an award in the transportation category for Goodale Street Parking Garage in Columbus, Ohio.
Most Distinguished
Recognized as the top award in the competition, the Most Distinguished Award was earned this year by Québec-based Corbec Inc.’s work on Horizon Oil Sands Slurry Preparation Plant (SPP) in Fort McMurray, Alberta. The plant faces difficulties with corrosion due to the oil and ore liquefaction process, but its implementation of hot-dip galvanized steel boosts the resilience of the plant, saves money, and allows for relocation if necessary.
Lifetime Achievement Award
This award can only be granted to a project that has been in service for a minimum of 15 years, and in this case, it went to the AZZ Galvanizing’s Baseball Man topiary, located at Mississippi’s Gulfport Sportsplex. The hot-dip galvanized frame supporting the topiary was initially chosen to improve resistance to harsh fertilizers and irrigation, but since it was designed in 2001, it has also played an unexpected role.
Baseball Man has had to stand up to hazards much more significant than those it was designed to withstand—it faced the effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and was set on fire by vandals last year. Although the latter event caused the topiary to be temporarily removed from the facility, it has been restored to its place, with the frame undamaged by the fire or natural disaster.
Videos on the lifelong performance of other galvanized steel projects—such as Baseball Man and Reiman Gardens Conservatory (Ames, Iowa)—can be found here.
