2017 Excellence Awards showcase hot-dip galvanized projects

Centennial, Colo. — The American Galvanizers Association (AGA) announced the winners of the 2017 Excellence in Hot-Dip Galvanizing Awards. More than 120 projects were judged online by a panel of architects and engineers and are now featured in the AGA Project Gallery (www.galvanizeit.org/project-gallery).

The 17 winning projects showcase the resilient and illustrious hot-dip galvanized coating. The preeminent award, designated Most Distinguished, was given to the Horizon Oil Sands Slurry Preparation Plant (SPP) in Alberta, Canada.  The SPP liquefies oil sand ore for further treatment, and is part of the massive $10 billion investment in the Horizon Oil Sands development. The rugged nature of the extraction site and corrosiveness of the liquefaction process present serious corrosion challenges, but coupled with the fact the engineers wanted to design the plant to be relocatable led to the decision to hot-dip galvanize the steel in the SPP.  This innovative use of hot-dip galvanizing provides Horizon with a cost-effective, long lasting plant to facilitate North America’s goal of energy independence.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was granted to the resilient Baseball Man.  This special award recognizes galvanized projects with at least 15 years of service and the projects are also featured in the AGA’s Galvanized Steel Studies (GSS). GSS are YouTube video case studies that include interviews with the owners and/or specifiers of the projects detailing its performance over the years. Baseball Man is a topiary designed in 2001 to greet visitors at the Gulfport Sportsplex in Mississippi. In order to withstand the internal irrigation system and harsh fertilizers used, the topiary was constructed with a hot-dip galvanized frame.  In 2005, Baseball Man and the Sportsplex were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Later that year, tragedy struck again when vandals set the topiary on fire leaving the remainder of the moss and greenery smoldering. Baseball Man was removed from the park, but the Chief Groundskeeper refused to give up on him, and decided to replant the topiary. Thanks to the tenacious hot-dip galvanized frame, which was unscathed after the violent fire and rain, Baseball Man has been restored to his former glory and will be back to greet visitors of the Sportsplex this year!

Winners will be featured on both the AGA website homepage (www.galvanizeit.org) and the AGA Project Gallery site, as well as in various seminars, publications, and other marketing materials.

Explore the current Excellence Awards winners in the Winners section of the AGA Project Gallery at www.galvanizeit.org/project-gallery/winners.