Surface World July 2019 Surface World July 2019 | Page 187

THE GALVANIZERS ASSOCIATION
25 Years of the GAGAs
Year on year GAGA entrants
have shown how construction
sectors across the UK and Ireland
test the technical limits and
creative potential of a 300 year
old technology. Just when you
thought everything which could
be achieved with this reliable,
proven coating, has been done
and seen, more extraordinary
projects emerge. Whether they
are monumental public projects
or small-scale detail entrants,
each year we are reminded how
versatile and visionary the use of
galvanizing can be.
This year there is an even greater air of excitement
about the awards, as we have reached our 25th
anniversary. Conceived initially as a means of
forging greater connections between the galvanizing
industry and architects, artists and engineers, we
believe the GAGAs have, in fact, grown to represent
much more.
Today, we pride ourselves on the fact that our event
widens conversation around successes within the
galvanizing industry, and that it has become a
document of changing practices and philosophies
within construction itself. The pre-dominance of
sustainability, the rise of cost-effective modular
design, the sustained emphasis on no-maintenance
materials have all been highlighted through projects
that are entered.
Our 25 year milestone has also afforded us an
excuse (as if it were needed) to look back at
previous winners. One of our first winners to stand
out is Stukely Street, the former Savoy Hotel furniture
store near Covent Garden. It was given a dramatic
facelift by Jestico and Whiles and turned into a light
filled, six story office-space with the extensive use of
glass and galvanized steel.
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Eden Project - Grimshaw Architects
© Peter Cook
Past entries have also highlighted how social
housing can be innovative, elegant and highly
desirable places to live. Examples that stand out are
Homes for Change in Hulme, Manchester which
continues to support sustainable, diverse
communities with a more inclusive kind of
approach. They sit alongside projects like Heron
Court by Bell Phillips Architects and shine a light on
the idea that all this can be achieved within the
constraints of the public purse.
At Jubilee Campus, Nottingham University, Michael
Hopkins and Partners turned a former bicycle factory
site into an academic park for 2,500 students,
marrying energy-saving construction with
outstanding design and function. Furthermore,
projects like Exposure by Anthony Gormley show
how new design software is pushing the boundaries
of what is possible with galvanized steel. At 26m tall
and weighing 60 tonnes, this feat of engineering
contains 5,400 bolts and a further 2,000
components, all of which are galvanized.
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