Archive for the ‘MSC Blog’ Category

Robert and Doug Snokhous, two Central Texas Iron Works (CTIW) employees who were also volunteer firefighters, sacrificed their lives trying to extinguish the fire that led to the explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer plant last month. Fourteen people in all, including first responders, died in the explosion.

In honor of Robert and Doug, CTIW has established the Steel Industry West Relief Fund for victims of the disaster and the West community. For businesses and individuals who would like to make a financial contribution, checks can be made payable to Steel Industry West Relief Fund (c/o Central Texas Iron Works, Inc., P.O. Box 2555, Waco, Texas 76702-2555).

CTIW has also joined with the Waco Foundation to accept donations for the West Volunteer Fire Department. For those who wish to elect this option, checks can be made payable to Waco Foundation, West Texas Disaster Relief Efforts Fund/Firefighter Relief (In Honor of Robert & Doug Snokhous) (1105 Wooded Acres Dr., Waco, TX 76710).

For more information, contact CTIW at 254.776.8000.

In an effort to better communicate with its existing participants, AISC Certification will begin releasing Certification Bulletins communicating program updates and changes.

Certification Bulletin 2013-1: Current Participant Conversion to Standard Based Bridge Certification Program provides information required to convert bridge certified facilities with certifications expiring in August 2013 or after to the new standard based AISC certification program for steel bridge fabricators. Conversion is mandatory for all participants.

This bulletin can be found at www.aisc.org/bridgecertification. If you have specific questions or concerns regarding Bulletin 2013-1, please contact AISC Certification directly at conversion@aisc.org.

ConXtech announced that its ConXR and ConXL Chassis Based Modular structural steel building systems have been Cradle to Cradle Certified at the Silver level. These systems are the first Cradle to Cradle Certified structural steel framing systems in the world, according to the company.

Both ConXR and ConXL can be designed as special moment frame connections (SMF) or ordinary moment frame (OMF) structures. ConX connections are inherently bi-axial, capable of handling challenging seismic loading.

The systems offer architects and engineers the opportunity to design multi-story structures for future disassembly and re-use without compromising structural integrity.

“This product represents innovative systems thinking and provides not only a fantastic assembly system but also a brilliant way to eventually disassemble a building to recover materials that are precious for our future,” said Bridgett Luther, president of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

Administered by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, the Cradle to Cradle Certified program is a multi-attribute program that assesses products for safety to human and environmental health, design for future use cycles and sustainable manufacturing processes. Each product is evaluated in five categories: Material Health, Material Reutilization, Renewable Energy Use, Water Stewardship, and Social Responsibility.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) includes Cradle to Cradle Certified products in its Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP), a database of products and services with reduced environmental impacts. In addition, Cradle to Cradle Certified products are recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program and are eligible to contribute to a variety of LEED credits.

Cradle to Cradle Certified is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

For more information, see ConXtech’s press release.

The Corner Condominiums in Missoula, Mont., won a Merit Award in AISC’s 2013 IDEAS2 awards program. Compatibility with the weathering steel cladding made structural steel the architectural choice for the project. Photo: Mark Bryant Photographics

Every year, AISC’s IDEAS2 Awards recognize the most innovative new steel structures in the U.S. and the importance of teamwork, coordination and collaboration in fostering successful construction projects.

This year’s 13 IDEAS2 winners were announced at the 2013 NASCC: The Steel Conference last month in St. Louis. Covering an array of project types, they demonstrate the flexible and effective solutions provided by structural steel on a wide variety of building projects.

A panel of design and construction industry professionals identified National and Merit winners in three categories, based on constructed value: less than $15 million, $15 million to $75 million and greater than $75 million. In addition, the panel awarded a Presidential Award of Excellence in Engineering to one project for outstanding structural engineering achievement.

You can read about all of this year’s winners in the May issue of MSC (available now!), with detailed project descriptions and photographs of each.

To learn more about the IDEAS2 awards program, visit www.aisc.org/ideas2.

Banker Steel (an AISC member/AISC certified fabricator) will begin fabricating the steel-framed modules for the world’s tallest modular high-rise building next week, according to a recent AMM article.

Banker expanded its Lynchburg, Va., facility earlier this year to create a purpose-built workshop solely dedicated to the fabrication of these rectangular modules for the project — a 32-story residential tower named B2 — which broke ground late last year at the $4.9 billion, 22-acre Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The modules will be manufactured in Lynchburg, using HSS and wide-flange beams, and assembled in Brooklyn, according to the article. B2 is expected to be available for occupancy in the summer of 2014 and is one of 15 modular buildings planned at the Atlantic Yards site.

For more information, see our previous news post: World’s Tallest Modular Building Breaks Ground. You can also learn more about the project and view an architectural rendering on Banker Steel’s website. 

Do you have the next great idea for a groundbreaking technology, model shop or building that could potentially revolutionize the future of the steel design and construction industry? Enter AISC’s first-ever Future of Steel competition! The competition rewards and celebrates innovative ideas for the future of structural steel fabrication, erection, engineering, design and construction. And you have the opportunity to win one of three cash prizes, totaling $2,000!

The first-place winner of the competition will receive a grand prize of $1,000 cash; the second-place winner will receive a $500 cash prize; and two third-place winners will receive a $250 cash prize. In addition, the winning designs and runners-up will be displayed at the 2014 NASCC: The Steel Conference, March 26-29 in Toronto. Designs may also be selected to be featured in MSC.

“What makes this competition truly fantastic is that there are no rules,” said Carly Hurd, AISC director of membership services. “AISC is looking for design concepts for innovations that haven’t been realized yet by the steel design and construction industry. We believe that the future of the industry lies in the areas of innovation, which is driven by great ideas. Let your inner visionary and inventor shine; the sky’s the limit!”

Entries are due by October 1, after which time they’ll all be posted publicly to AISC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AISCdotORG, where they’ll be voted on by fans. The three entries that receive the most votes will be crowned the winners.

For competition requirements and how to enter, go to www.aisc.org/FutureofSteel.

Here’s MSC’s Steel Structure Trivia challenge for April! In recognition of the all-time highest attendance at NASCC: The Steel Conference in St. Louis last week, we’ve posted the above photo, which shows the scope of the exhibit hall, where more than 200 exhibit booths were on display. Your trivia question is: What was the total number of attendees at this year’s conference?

Answer:

The total number of attendees at this year’s conference was 3,748 – an all-time record! Congratulations to our winners: Christopher Cichon of Sargent & Lundy, Chicago; Mark Da Gama Rose of Jacobs Engineering, St. Louis; and Timothy Gilbert of Louis Perry & Associates, Inc., Wadsworth, Ohio.

All three of our winners were right on the money with their guesses! This may have been due in part to the powers of social media; the conference attendance number was announced last week on AISC’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AISCdotORG. (We were curious to see who might be checking out the page to find the answer!) The page also has photos and videos from the conference.

If you’d like to contribute photos to AISC’s Facebook page — NASCC or otherwise — please email Victoria Cservenyak at cservenyak@aisc.org.

AISC has already started planning next year’s NASCC, which will take place in Toronto, March 26-29. Mark your calendars!

The buildingSMART alliance will soon be accepting proposed changes, known as ballot submissions, to the National BIM Standard – United States (NBIMS-US).

All building professionals are invited to participate in the development process of NBIMS-US Version 3, and buildingSMART is looking to every sector of the industry to submit ballots. Ballots can amend or revise current NBIMS-US content or they can address the latest technologies, processes and practices not yet included in the standard.

As BIM covers all aspects of the building process, buildingSMART stresses, it is important for representatives from every segment of the industry to participate in the standard’s development.

The Ballot Submission Period for NBIMS-US V3 begins June 3, and ends August 19. Interested individuals and organizations can prepare by doing the following:

1.      Skim over the list of the standards and guidelines NBIMS-US Version 2 references.

2.      Review the language in NBIMS-US Version 2 (available at www.nationalbimstandard.org).

3.      Join the buildingSMART alliance and become a member of the NBIMS-US Project Committee. (Only members can submit ballots and vote on changes to the standard.)

4.      Communicate with any industry associations to coordinate efforts.

5.      Update the Alliance about any association-related BIM activities.

6.      Stay tuned for the next announcement, when the NBIMS-US Project Committee announces where members can download the ballot and supporting materials and start the process.

For more information about the National BIM Standard – United States and how to get involved in the Version 3 standards development process, visit www.nationalbimstandard.org/about.php.

Looking for a resource to keep up with the overhead crane industry? A new website called Crane Buzz provides an interactive online community, technical information, industry standards and news related to overhead cranes and hoists.

The website is designed to help you specify, buy, sell, operate and maintain overhead cranes and hoists. Users can also contribute their own blogs, submit interesting videos or recommend their favorite engineer.

To learn more, visit www.cranebuzz.com.

The National Steel Bridge Alliance’s 2014 World Steel Bridge Symposium will be held in conjunction with AISC’s NASCC: The Steel Conference in Toronto, March 26-29, 2014. The symposium brings together design engineers, construction professionals, academics, transportation officials, fabricators, erectors and builders to learn and discuss state-of-the-art practices for enhancing steel bridge design, fabrication and construction techniques.

The organizers of the 2014 event are interested in papers that deal with all aspects of steel bridge design and construction. If you’re interested in presenting, please submit an abstract, 500 words or less, summarizing your paper.

Abstracts are due by July 1, 2013, and should be sent to abstracts@steelbridges.org; the preferred format is PDF. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by August 15 and completed papers must be received by November 18 for final review.

For more information about the World Steel Bridge Symposium, visit www.steelbridges.org/wsbs.