During an awards program at the joint conference between the Metal Building Contractors & Erectors Association (MBCEA) and the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) in Tucson, Ariz., April 27, the MBCEA recognized seven building projects in its Building of the Year awards. The conference had been put on hold for the last two years because of the COVID pandemic, so excitement was high among attendees, and they were rewarded with a dynamic group of winning projects.
Showcasing the excitement of the metal building industry
Building of the Year entries are judged by an outside panel of judges based on the following criteria:
- Aesthetics
- Unusual or interesting features
- Quality
- Complexity
- Green building elements
This year, the project of the year went to MBCEA member Foundation Steel LLC, Swanton, Ohio, for its involvement in the Arbogast Performing Arts Center in Troy, Ohio. Foundation Steel served as the steel erector on the 41,000-square-foot building, which was supplied by Butler Manufacturing, Kansas City, Mo.
Additional awards went to Red Dot Buildings, Athens, Texas; Buildings by Design, Brush, Colo.; Baker Builders, Frederick, Colo.; Super Structures General Contractors Inc., Powhatan, Va.; Heath Steel, Fort Collins, Colo.; and Big Johnson Construction, Fort Morgan, Colo.
Three judges served on the panel and selected winners from more than 30 entries. They were Ronald Albert, AIA, RHA Architects, Merrimac, Mass.; Jerry Gorski, PE, Gorski Engineering, Collegeville, Pa.; and Matthew B. Jarmel, AIA, MBA, Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers Inc., Livingston, N.J. To be eligible, a building must have been completed in 2020. For more information on MBCEA’s Building of the Year winners, visit www.mbcea.org/awards-and-recognition.
2022 Building of the Year
The Arbogast Performing Arts Center (APAC) in Troy, Ohio, is a $7.2 million, 41,000-square-foot facility that was initiated by Troy Christian Schools, one of the region’s largest private school systems, and serves the local community. The 1,200-seat auditorium is designed to provide space for family and student education, community programming, business events and entertainment, as well as where Troy Christian Schools hosts plays, concerts, internships and its weekly chapel meetings. APAC opened to a full house October 30, 2021, with the Texas Tenors.
Awards of Excellence
Specialty Category
Westminster, Colo.-based Alpine Lumber, is a 100% employee-owned company that focuses on efficiency and quality. It’s new retail lumber store in Silverthorne, Colo., is a 38,000-square-foot metal building manufactured by Chief Buildings, and has eave heights of 25 1/2 feet. Designed by Galloway and Co., the building was supplied by Heath Steel, and erected by Big Johnson Construction and features a stranding seam roof and a R-41 liner insulation system. The walls are clad in insulated metal panels from Kingspan Insulated Panels Inc.
Manufacturing and Warehouse Category
Metallic Building Systems manufactured the building that now houses Classic Granite & Marble’s warehouse and two office spaces in Powhatan, Va. The building is 89,500 square feet and features MBCI’s Double-Lok and Battenlok H-5 metal roof panels with an insulation liner system from Owens Corning. Walls come in a three-color pattern of insulated metal panels from Metl-Span. On the interior, the space features a fabulous mezzanine with a circular walkway to the sales floor, but more impressively the building houses 11 cranes.
Educational and Recreation Category
Multiple roof lines, a mix of exterior materials that include stone and masonry, and deep roof overhangs supported by tubular steel columns define the exterior of the Rock Creek Curling Center in Lafayette, Colo., but on the inside, the sport of curling takes center stage. The 33,506-square-foot building comes from Chief Buildings and was supplied by Buildings by Design. Pro Steel Inc. erected the structure. Completed in March 2021, the club is used by youth and adult leagues as well as corporate events and private parties.
Awards of Merit
Specialty Category
In Silverthorne, Colo., Fourth Street Crossing is a multiuse development that provides the new heart of the downtown. At the center of the development is the market, designed by Neo Studio as a gathering spot where the mountains meet modern. Designed and constructed around a pre-existing historic building, the 23,000-square-foot building from Chief Buildings incorporates a standing seam roof with a R-46 liner system.
Manufacturing and Warehouse Category
Metal buildings systems provide superior environments for manufacturing facilities, and Insulation Technology Corp. (Intec), Frederick, Colo., wanted to take advantage of the large clear spans available with such a structure. Intec manufactures insulation and this Varco Pruden building was customized to maximize interior clearance for efficient production. It also features clerestory windows that provide natural daylighting. Baker Builders worked through the design process and supplied the 33,750-square-foot building that also has a 4,000-square-foot office space.
Educational and Recreation Category
In Melissa, Texas, the Championship Center on the grounds of the high school is the largest indoor practice facility in the state, outstripping facilities from noted institutions as Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. This 134,200-square-foot facility consists of nine locker rooms totaling 49,000 square feet, a weight room, treatment area, training rooms, wrestling and a VIP area. The facility will also have an 80,000-square-foot indoor turf practice facility and a 5,200-square-foot lease space for sports injuries rehabilitation.
To learn more about this building, check out the case study at https://www.hwh1887.com/work/melissa-isd-case-study.
