Two winning projects of the inaugural Galvanizing Excellence Awards took advantage of hot dip galvanizing (HDG) to enhance the architectural merits of a striking new college building and a bushland home.
The awards are organised by the Galvanizers Association of Australia (GAA) as part of the national round of the Australian Steel Institute’s (ASI) biennial Steel Excellence Awards for which this is the ‘on’ year. All 19 projects entered in the initial State rounds with a significant HDG element were considered with awards granted in two categories of large and small structures.
HDG was applied to the exposed structural steel frame which supports the outer skin of the winner in the Large Projects category, the Ngoolark Student Services Building at Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup campus in Western Australia. The frame facilitates ample space from the building superstructure to allow the design freedom for the sunscreen to be the defining element of the project.
Appreciating that the skeletal structure supporting the permeable screen that envelopes the building would remain entirely visible, a design decision was made to galvanize the structural framing to ensure the longevity of the internal faces of the steel members.
The design team communicated closely with Hartway Galvanizers to determine the most economical member component lengths for fabrication and erection, given the limitations of available galvanizing baths, which also helped in keeping onsite erection safer. The decision to use HDG rather than a paint coating also helped environmentally by reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds and was part of the reason the building achieved a 5 Star Green Star Rating by Design on the GBCA Rating Tool.
The other projects shortlisted in this category were the Skymate recreational structure in South Australia, the Sunshine Coast University Hospital car park and the New Generation Rolling Stock Maintenance Building in Queensland.
HDG was provided by Brisbane’s Fero Galv for The Rural Residence nestled within a rugged Queensland bushland setting which required “honest, robust and non-combustible materials” to suit the client brief and bushfire code requirements.
A conscious decision was made to embrace a predominantly steel structure to achieve the architect’s vision of sharp angular forms “designed to create a strong contrast with the natural setting”.
All the other projects shortlisted in this category also came from Queensland, being the House in Hamilton, Reflection House and The Boat House entries.
GAA Chief Executive, Peter Golding said the awards came about as many of the past entrants to the ASI’s design awards incorporated significant amounts of HDG.
“We noted hot dip galvanized steel was used often without specific recognition of the durability, innovation and sustainability benefits provided by this essential form of corrosion protection and how in many projects it was used for both engineering and aesthetic qualities,” he said.
The awards were judged by Arun Syam from OneSteel and James Staughton of Workshop Architecture along with GAA technical staff, Ann Sheehan and Will McLean.