A trio of union-built Michigan projects were honored for excellence in steel construction in the 2002 Steel Systems Excellence Awards.

The winner in the large project category is the State of Michigan Hall of Justice Building in Lansing. There were two winners in the medium-size project category: the reconstruction of the Mesaba Airlines Hangar facility at Detroit Metro Airport and the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts on the Michigan Technological University campus in Houghton

Presentation of the winners was made by the Great Lakes Fabricators and Erectors Association (GLFEA) during the May 16-19 annual meeting of the Michigan Society of Professional Engineers at Boyne Highlands. This year's competition covered projects between Jan. 1, 1999 through Dec. 31, 2001.

Following are descriptions of each project:

The State of Michigan Hall of Justice: The building was designed by Albert Kahn Associates and Spillis Candela and Partners, and has involved general contractor Christman Construction and Douglas Steel Fabricating.

The 281,000 square-foot structure consolidates state judicial functions by combining the Michigan Supreme Court and the state's Court of Appeals in one building. All of the steel framing for the six-story building was erected in just over 18 weeks.

More than 2,900 tons of structural steel were used to frame the curved lines of the building and support its 14,000 limestone panels. The unique, curved shape of the Hall of Justice was formed by complex steel bump-outs at every floor. The bump-outs acted as a pour stop for floor concrete, and close scrutiny was necessary to make sure there was no interference created between the floor slab and the windows.

Mesaba Hangar: In May 2000 a strong storm blew down an exterior wall at the Mesaba Airlines Hangar facility, collapsing the roof on an airplane parked inside. The following day, a representative from the structural engineering firm of Ruby & Associates and MBM Fabricators inspected the damage. Temporary shoring towers were installed to support the roof, and allow the aircraft to be moved out. MBM then dismantled the hangar's roofing system.

Walbridge-Aldinger served as the design-build contractor on the reconstruction, with architectural services provided by Farrand and Associates. In less than three months, a new 220-foot wide by 70-foot deep facility was designed, fabricated and erected, and Mesaba got an additional 8,500 feet of hangar space.

The structural steel systems for the expanded hangar were erected just inside the standing walls to maximize re-use of the existing facility. The new structural elements also provided bracing for the existing walls, with an innovate connection system.

Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts: Completed in 2001, the performing arts center is framed with approximately 750 tons of structural steel. The new 60,000-square-foot building serves as an introduction to the Michigan Tech campus to visitors approaching from the east.

The 1,200-seat center features a metal clad roofing system that breaks into a series of multi-faceted roofing areas over the lobby space. It's not uncommon for the Houghton area to receive 360 inches of snow in a typical winter, so the roof was made to support weight in excess of 450 lbs. per square foot.

For good acoustics, 12-inch pre-cast hollow-core slabs were placed between the roof trusses. A 30-ton, sound-damped moveable shell rotates from the back stage wall.

Other features include eyebrow ceiling framing, a concave and stepped-backed floor deck in front of the stage and a weaving lobby store-front.

DiClemente Siegel Design Inc. served as the project's architect, structural engineering was provided by Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, and the steel erector was Gundlach Champion.

The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton.

The State of Michigan Hall of Justice.