Surface World June 2019 Surface World June 2019 | Page 30

THE GALVANIZERS ASSOCIATION Sensitive design scoops awards at Anniversary GAGAs The 25th anniversary of the Galvanizers Association Galvanizing Awards celebrated conservation, innovation and sustainability when it was held on Friday the 7th June. Projects that prioritised public engagement with landscape and resident culture were favourites with the judges, with winners evidencing strongly the connection between the built world and nature. Picking up awards this year were The Rising Path by chadwick, dryer, clarke studio. This visitor centre for Cambridge University Estates impressed the judges by creating an immersive journey through a New Pinetum at the Botanic Gardens, Cambridge. It won the Award for Architecture for its structural use of galvanized steel and hand driven concrete-free galvanized steel pile footings, which underpin a climbing path amongst the root protection zones of mature specimen trees. Judges were also united on the sensitive restoration and conservation of Catrine Weir in East Ayrshire by Addison Conservation + Design, which has conserved a piece of heritage engineering for the next two hundred years. It won best in Engineering for its use of a galvanized steel apron, which forms a shimmering crest to the weir and helps pick out the extraordinary light of the Ayrshire sky. This year the Sustainability Award was presented to Brightblue Studio for Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre in Northumberland. Their creative use of galvanized steel gabions as a structural element was an inspired means of using a volunteer workforce to help create a stunning, site sensitive building that both inspires and engages visitors with nature. The Duplex Award was given to Studio Weave for their standout green roofed pavilion, which forms a central role in the redevelopment of the Thames Riverside Walk at Nine Elms, whilst the Galvanizing in Detail Award was picked up by dePaor for the Pálás Cinema in Galway. This striking blasted concrete building uses galvanized steel for the bespoke hardware of the cinema; windows, sills, grills, canopy, handrails and gaurdings to create an extraordinary setting for European Cinema. A highly commended award was given to Stephen Taylor Architects in the Detail category, for their work on the 100% affordable Cadix Housing project in Belgium where galvanized steel was used to form the important communal design features for the project. The RHS commission for the Chelsea Flower Show, Root Bench, by Jailmake, received a special mention too. Beautifully folded sheet metal resembles a sprawling root system and works beautifully around the single tree planted seamlessly in the middle. Speaking of this year’s winners, Iqbal Johal, marketing manager at Galvanizers Association said: “This has been a great year for the awards, not only have we celebrated a quarter of a century of the awards, we have once again made visible the extraordinary contribution that galvanizing makes to our built environment. We were especially pleased to see it play a role in projects that bring people closer to nature and which support local culture and talent.” Further information about the awards can be found at: http://www.galvanizing.org.uk/construction-awards. Alternatively, please contact Iqbal Johal at: [email protected] SPECIAL MENTION RHS Root Bench which are the roots of the tree. Jailmake - London Folded from 2mm steel plate, and reminiscent of a biological cross-section drawing brought to life, the mass of complex folded steel can support the weight of 4m long fully laden benches, through its intersecting geometry and extruded form. Designed using parametric Commissioned by The RHS for Chelsea flower show, the Root Bench gives its simple visual aesthetic over to the single tree planted within it. Representing the ground surface are six large planks of English Oak, beneath software and all fabricated in house, the design is a simple ode to the miraculous strength of root systems. Once galvanized, the result left the benches in a shining bright zinc finish. Each European Oak plank for the top of each bench was sanded and oiled to protect the wood from weathering. CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 28 JUNE 2019 read online: www.surfaceworld.com