SSDA 50th Anniversary
SSDA celebrates 50 years
Having started in 1969, the Structural Steel Design Awards are this year celebrating their
50th anniversary. In the second of a series of articles, NSC looks back at the 1980s.
Since the Structural Steel Design
Awards (SSDA) were initiated in
1969 by the British Constructional
Steelwork Association (BCSA) and
the British Steel Corporation there have
been many changes in the construction and
the steel sectors, but one constant asset is
the way that steel not only confers efficiency
and economy but also has an aesthetic
which designers are able to exploit to the
benefit of the built environment.
The qualities of engineering excellence,
innovation, attention to detail, economy
and speed of construction have been
brought together in each of the structures
that have been given awards during the past
49 years.
Following on from last month’s look
back at the 1970s, in this issue we highlight
the 1980s. Two examples of this decade’s
Award winners are the Humber Bridge (a
1982 winner) and the Greater Manchester
Exhibition & Event Centre (a 1987 winner).
Opened in June 1981, the Humber Bridge
was the longest suspension bridge in the
world, with a main span of 1,410m long, a
record it held until the late 1990s.
Still regarded as an iconic landmark, the
bridge crosses the Humber Estuary between
Hessle and Barton-upon-Humber, and was
constructed in order to cut travel times
and assist in economic development, two
objectives that have been fulfilled.
The 1982 SSDA judges commented
that engineering excellence and structural
innovation have been combined with
high aesthetic quality in this magnificent
structure which has the longest single span
in the world.
Designed by a team consisting of
architect R E M Slater and structural
engineer Freeman Fox & Partners, the
project’s steelwork contractor was British
Bridge Builders.
For fabrication, assembly and erection
10 NSC
May 18
Luke Broughton, Shutterstock
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