AGC wins AGA Galvanizing Excellence Award For Fifth Year In A Row
- The nest section of the “Out On A Limb” Tree Adventure
The American Galvanizers Association finished its 76th Annual Meeting in Cancun, Mexico last week and American Galvanizing Company won an Excellence Award in the Recreation and Entertainment Category for the “Out On A Limb Nest’ project found at the Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. Galvanized and erected in the first half of 2009, the “Out On A Limb Tree Adventure” is billed as a main attraction at the University of Pennsylvania site. It consists of a 450 foot long galvanized canopy walk constructed around a 250 year old chestnut oak tree that hangs 30 plus feet in the air. It culminates in another walkway that takes the visitor to a human sized nest made out of galvanized steel and interwoven natural branches that hangs approximately 80 feet above the steeply sloped Wissahickon Valley. The total project represented over 155 tons of galvanized steel consisting of walkways, framing, handrails, canopy, tube steel supports, and tower structures. The architect and engineer was Metcalf Architecture and Design who chose galvanizing as its coating of choice for the contrast of the “glinting galvanized steel” amidst the lush, green forrest and the sustainable protection that would remain attractive, structurally safe, and environmentally friendly for decades to come.
The award marks the fifth year in a row where American Galvanizing Company (AGC) has secured such an honor. The galvanizing required a “show room” quality finish that AGC was able to provide in a timely fashion recognizing that thousands of patrons would be visiting the finished product year in and year out. As is the case in many projects, AGC personnel worked with the fabricator to help tweak the actual design in order to allow for the most efficient processing through the various dip tanks in the galvanizing process. Management met with the fabricator at their facility to get a hands on view of what the architect’s vision was to ensure that the high profile structure would be galvanized and handled at AGC with that in mind. The results speak for themselves.
