SteelDay Festivities Come to the School of Engineering

Ask most people what autumn means to them and you might hear about Halloween costumes and turkey on Thanksgiving. But every Civil Engineering and Construction Management student knows that it also means SteelDay, an annual celebration sponsored by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) and hosted by its members and partners. SteelDay events—including tours, presentations, and open houses—are organized all over the country, making it the industry's largest educational and networking function.

Thanks to the efforts of Professor Lawrence Chiarelli and the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, more than 100 attendees gathered at the School of Engineering on September 16 to hear a presentation from the developers of 2 City Point—at 1.8 million square feet, the largest mixed-used center in Brooklyn. Most important to those celebrating SteelDay, the center will include the tallest building in the world constructed using an innovative steel framing system called the Girder-Slab^® System, which is less costly and quicker to erect than typical cast-in-place concrete systems. (Dan Fisher, the head of Girder-Slab^®, was on hand to explain the proprietary technology and the company’s unusual policy of making it available to any fabricator who asks.)

Holding the event at the School of Engineering allowed students to mingle with and learn from industry experts. “Everyone was particularly impressed that the students asked such intelligent questions,” Jacinda Collins, an AISC official, says. “They were bright, enthusiastic, and a pleasure to meet, and their presence added immeasurably to the success of the event”

All agreed that a highlight of the day was the chance to don hard hats and actually tour the project, which is located within blocks of the MetroTech Center campus. “That proximity made the School of Engineering the ideal spot for the gathering,” Chiarelli says. “And any opportunity we have to strengthen our friendship with the AISC, which also co-sponsors the National Student Steel Bridge competition in which our students take part each year, is very welcome.”