COVER STORY
By Tina Cauller
Overcoming
Common Challenges
Turnberry Ocean Club, Condo Entrance, Sunny Isles, Fla.
Erectors manage project costs, coordinate teams
Class I (up to $500,000) Erector: Hodges Erectors, Inc Fabricator and Detailer: George’s Welding Services, Inc. Architect: Swedroe Architecture Structural Engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers GC: Turnberry Contract Value: $282,350 Tons of Steel: 198
Talking Stick Resort, Arena Renovation, Phoenix, Ariz. Class II (Over $500,000 to $1 million) Erector: FM Steel Construction, LLC Fabricator: Schuff Steel Management Company Detailer: CSD Services Architect: HOK Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti GC: Okland Construction Company, Inc. Contract Value: $935,997 Tons of Steel: 125
Hunters Overlook Bridge, Windsor, Colo. Class I Honorable Mention Erector: High Plains Steel Services, LLC Fabricator, Detailer, Architect, and Structural Engineer: Contech Engineered Solutions, LLC GC: Crow Creek Construction, LLC Contract Value: $80,433 Tons of Steel: 129 More photos in Photo Gallery at
seaa.net
A 450-ton mobile crane had to be set up directly over an underground parking garage, requiring extra shoring as support.
E
rectors often work in close collaboration with other teams and trades, and sometimes the customer. Challenges frequently deal with logistics, crane selection and rigging methods, and difficult to access work locations. The three projects presented here are prime examples of these common challenges.
The 2021 Class I winning entry (for projects up to $500,000 steel erection contract value) was for the entrance to the Turnberry Ocean Club. This oceanfront condominium tower was built to provide a luxury lifestyle for residents, which starts with a grand entrance composed of a free spanning structure. One of the main challenges was the number of mobilizations required due to sequencing. Hodges Erectors used a tower crane for unloading and erection for about half of the project, but had to bring in a 450-ton mobile crane, properly shored, to set up on a parking garage to complete the job. Arena renovations, which were part of a larger $230 million project to redevelop a venue for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s
Phoenix Mercury, also required multiple mobilizations in order to work around the basketball teams’ home game schedules. FM Steel Construction, LLC, the Class II Project of the Year (over $500,000 to $1 million) had limited headroom for using a crane, which meant that some steel was transferred in mid-air from the crane using bull rigging techniques. Meanwhile, High Plains Steel Services, LLC, received Honorable Mention, for its residential bridge project. The erector was brought into the project when the customer realized the initial plan was not feasible. High Plains Steel worked with the customer’s crane supplier to devise an alternative construction method that saved tens of thousands in costs.
Tina Cauller is a graphic designer and freelance writer with 30 years of experience reporting for trade and technical publications in building construction and real estate markets. She can be reached at tinacauller@ gmail.com
■ Multiple mobilizations
32 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
Hodges Erectors, Inc., Miami, Fla., delivered outstanding performance on the Turnberry Ocean Club in Sunny Isles, Florida, earning Project of the Year for Class I. The 54-story
