Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) is pleased to announce the results of 2024’s SCNZ Excellence in Steel Awards. The winners were announced in Rotorua recently, where close to 300 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.

Each year, the task of judging becomes increasingly difficult. This year, 24 finalists were selected from a pool of more than 50 outstanding submissions across an impressive array of structural steel applications. Together, they reflect the endless possibilities of structural steel, demonstrating the remarkable design and execution possible when steel is the primary construction material.

“This year’s entries have once more showcased our industry’s ability to produce remarkable work,” says SCNZ Chair Malcolm Hammond. “We are a progressive industry that continues to add significant value to projects through our unparalleled knowledge of steel construction, and our appetite to collaborate with our clients and design teams.”

“It has been the most hotly contested awards to date and, anecdotally, has produced some of the highest and closest scores ever seen in the SCNZ Awards,” says SCNZ General Manager Darren O’Riley. “It is a reflection of the industry’s continued evolution and sophistication.”

The 2024 Supreme Winner and Category Winners are:

• Supreme Winner and Standalone Residential Category Winner: Grayson Engineering for Geo Domes

This stunning domed structure in Mangawhai consists of two residential dwellings constructed from rolled and formed heavy universal column and beam sections.

Measuring 42m by 42m and 7.5m high in the centre, the larger dome is comprised of 110 tonnes of steel. Steel was the only viable material for the domes, offering the required strength, durability, quick on-site assembly and cost-effectiveness to meet the design specifications.

Coordination between the steelwork and the builder, along with the temporary works required to support this complex organic form during the build, was extensive.

• Over $3M Category Winner: D&H Steel Construction for University of Auckland Recreation and Wellness Centre

This substantial new facility showcases engineering on a grand scale, pushing the boundaries for clear spaces and high suspended loads.

Comprising eight levels on a 3,600sqm footprint, the vertically stacked amenities include an underground swimming pool, sports halls, elevated running track, fitness studios, rooftop outdoor plaza and turf field. A full-height perimeter steel diagrid bracing system serves as both an architectural feature and a structural element.

The expansive spaces were achieved through a range of innovative structural steel solutions, totalling 6,000 tonnes.

• $1.5M-$3M Category Winner: PFS Engineering for Peacocke Cycle Bridge

 The architecturally stunning 71m-long pedestrian and cycling bridge is a prominent gateway (waharoa) to the new Waikato River crossing. The geometrically complex structure comprises five sections with nearly 200 tonnes of weathering steel.

Two 25m-high taurapa (steel masts) feature twin skins with the external skin showcasing Māori artwork. The bridge employs a simple box-beam structure, supported by stiffeners and diaphragms, which form the outer skin and deck.

Steel shrouds enclose the earthquake bearings and joints, connecting them to the reinforced concrete cantilever beam and pier.

• Earthquake Strengthening Category Winner: Petone Engineering for Lambton House Diaphragm Retrofit

Strengthening was completed on the main structure of Lambton House in 2012 to achieve a rating of 80 percent of the New Building Standard.

Unfortunately, the work did not address the prestressed floor units’ seating or the level-four diaphragm transfer.

The solution was to install circular hollow section members, connected to the exterior and interior reinforced concrete beams, and to the underside of the precast system slab.

The innovative use of new technology achieved a high degree of accuracy for the fabricated structure and the exposed steel is a feature of the level-four car park ceiling.

• $500K-$1.5M Category Winner: Lewis Bradford Consulting Engineers and Acme Engineering for Touchdown Sculpture

Stunning in its elegance, simplicity and complexity, ‘Touchdown’ is a large-scale ‘feather’ sculpture constructed from structural steel with a 4m-long fibreglass quill tip.

It weighs 22 tonnes, and measures 21m long, 11m wide and 17m high. Located on a remote site at the on top of a hill, it sits lightly on the ground with just one cantilevered support point.

Challenges included the site’s high wind and seismic loads, the requirement to fabricate the feather with no visible connections, and design intricacies such as the main quill section tapering in two directions as it curves along a constant arc.

• Under $500K Category Winner: PFS Engineering for Spiral Staircase

The spiral steel staircase is a focal point for Made Market, Hamilton’s newest urban precinct near the Waikato River.

A key feature of the sculptural staircase is the balustrade, which supports the stair treads. The soffit beneath the treads forms steel ‘petals’, creating a segmented, curved and smooth surface.

The central column of the stairway serves as the primary structural support, for both the stairway and the deck above. This allowed the use of lighter steel materials in the stairway and façade, ensuring more efficient resource use while preserving the strength and stability of the assembly.