Submitted by Perini Building Co.

The newest exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, this interactive children’s climber is 37 ft tall and is made of 50 tons of structural steel. Because every piece of steel is uniquely placed at an angle, each had to be input into a computer model. Loading the structure with a multitude of one-of-a-kind appendages, including a bathtub, a boat, a rocket and a gang plank, was equally challenging. The 3D model had to calculate the weight and centers of gravity for the bizarre materials, plus the effect of dozens of bouncing child- and adult-sized bodies clamoring throughout the exhibit.

Once the steel was erected, the team added the climber’s finishing pieces, including plywood, fiberglass grating, non-slip rubber lining, paint and stainless steel woven wire netting.

The project wouldn’t have been possible without the generous donations of time and service by over 30 construction-related companies.

The judges were blown away by the complex 3D modeling while keeping a childlike whimsy.

Owner: Children’s Museum of Phoenix
General Contractor: Perini Building Co.
Architect: Ganymede Design Group museum planning + interpretive design
Engineer: Bakkum Noelke Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc.
Steel Fabrication/Erection: Schuff Steel
Subcontractors: MKB Construction; Western Millwork; KHS&S; Performance Contracting; Southwest Metalsmiths; Draft-Tech; Buesing Corp; Southwest Carpenter’s Training Fund; Calhoun Construction; Cemex; Concrete Coring; Consolidated Rebar; Floorco; JD Steel & Ironworkers Local 847; Nets Unlimited; KT Fab; Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons, local 394; RBG Construction; ThyssenKrupp Safeway