CFSEI Announces 2026 Award Winners, Stipend Recipients and Distinguished Service Honoree

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) has announced the winners of the 2026 Design Excellence and Creative Detail awards, recognizing innovative engineering and construction solutions that push the boundaries of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing.

Featured image (above): Attendees at the 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach review photo displays featuring the CFSEI’s winning Design Excellence Award and Creative Detail Award projects.

This year’s winning projects highlighted the growing sophistication of cold-formed steel applications across the municipal, residential and hospitality sectors. Award-winning entries featured complex curved geometries, long-span roof systems, advanced prefabrication, highly coordinated BIM workflows and intricate structural detailing designed to solve challenging field and constructibility conditions.

CFSEI also recognized six recipients of its 2026 Stipend Program, which supports young engineers attending the conference. In addition, CFSEI honored Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, of Johns Hopkins University with the 2026 John P. Matsen Award for Distinguished Service for his leadership and contributions to the cold-formed steel industry.

For additional highlights and sponsor coverage from the 2026 CFSEI Expo, see the related article.

First Place: American Way Engineering

Super Nintendo World Orlando, Orlando, Florida

Derek Putz, P.E., Senior Engineer and COO
American Way Engineering

American Way Engineering earned first place in the commercial category for its work on Super Nintendo World Orlando, where cold-formed steel framing helped bring Bowser’s Castle, Peach’s Castle and Mario Motors to life.

The project required nonstructural and select structural CFS framing for the themed exterior façades. The work included extensive radiused framing used to create towers, turrets, battlements and curved entrance features.

The engineering challenge was unusual: Design cold-formed steel framing that could support durable, code-compliant construction while preserving the cartoon-like appearance of the theme park architecture. Radiused tracks, straight studs, concealed equipment bays and carefully anchored framing systems helped create the illusion of massive castles and animated forms.

Second Place: McClure

10 World Trade, Boston, Massachusetts

Michael Castleman, Legal and Structural Design Professional
McClure

McClure received second place for 10 World Trade, a 17-story mixed-use building in Boston’s Seaport district. The project includes laboratory, office and retail space.

McClure served as delegated/specialty engineer for radiused, non-bearing CFS systems throughout the building. The scope included curved ceiling framing supporting heavy in-plane wood panels. It also included exterior canopy eyebrow framing, façade framing and interior wall assemblies.

The project’s main challenge involved coordinating curved geometry, heavy panel loads and dense MEP and fire protection systems within tight plenum spaces. McClure developed flexible design guidelines using radiused backer studs, hat channels, stud hangers, kickers and strong backs. The approach gave the construction team a coordinated path to execute the architect’s vision.

Third Place: Industrialized Construction Solutions

Orlando Health Bayfront Medical Pavilion, St. Petersburg, Florida

Matthew Comber, S.E., P.E., Co-founder and COO
Industrialized Construction Solutions, Inc.

Industrialized Construction Solutions earned third place for the Orlando Health Bayfront Medical Pavilion, a six-story, 132,000-square-foot health care facility on an active urban hospital campus.

The project used a prefabricated, panelized CFS curtain wall system to support architectural cladding and high-performance enclosure assemblies. ICS was brought in after portions of the post-tensioned concrete structure and cast-in anchorage embeds were already in place.

The team designed the exterior framing system around fixed as-built conditions, limited site access and an accelerated schedule. ICS used BIM workflows, prefabrication coordination and custom panels to maintain load paths, accommodate existing embeds and support efficient installation.

First Place: Lochsa Engineering

Las Vegas Convention Center Renovation, Las Vegas, Nevada

Derrick Suarez, P.E.
Lochsa Engineering, LLC

Lochsa Engineering earned first place in the municipal category for its work on the Las Vegas Convention Center renovation, a major modernization project that transformed one of the nation’s premier event facilities through advanced cold-formed steel engineering and digital coordination.

The project included a dramatic dual-curved “Sno-Cone” lobby ceiling featuring highly irregular geometry that transitioned between interior and exterior spaces. Traditional layout methods could not reliably define framing locations or coordinate the compound curves with existing conditions.

To address the challenge, the team developed a fully coordinated, point-cloud-based CFS framing model integrating the architect’s geometry with the as-built structure. The process enabled precise stud and track placement, coordination with dense MEP systems and highly accurate field layout references.

Second Place: Martin/Martin

U.S. Air Force Academy Visitor’s Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Shane Ewing, P.E., Principal
Martin/Martin, Inc.

Martin/Martin received second place for the U.S. Air Force Academy Visitor’s Center, a 32,000-square-foot facility designed to resemble an aircraft taking flight. The structure features four progressively upward sloped rooflines symbolizing the Academy’s aviation mission.

The project presented major structural challenges due to the building’s exposed mountain location and clerestory walls rising more than 80 feet high. The structure was designed for 140 mph wind loads while maintaining the architect’s sweeping forms and extensive glazing systems.

The design team used cold-formed steel framing to achieve the required strength while minimizing structural weight. The project incorporated 10-inch stud framing, intermediate structural supports, horizontal built-up girts and curved framing systems to create the building’s distinctive wing-like soffits and roof profiles.

Third Place: Salas O’Brien

Barclays Center Renovation Phase 2: Modelo Bridge CFS Design, Brooklyn, New York

Daniel Stadig, P.E., Senior Vice President
Salas O’Brien

Salas O’Brien earned third place for the Barclays Center’s Modelo Bridge renovation, part of a larger revitalization project designed to create immersive fan experiences within the arena.

The centerpiece of the renovation was a bi-level cold-formed steel platform that spans above existing arena seating. The elevated space functions as a gathering area for fans and includes dramatic bridge-inspired architectural elements overlooking the arena bowl.

Engineers designed the platform to resist floor live loads, maintenance loads, seismic forces, sway loads and scissor-lift loading while coordinating framing around existing structural systems. The project also required complex modeled framing and tieback systems to integrate architectural bridge features with the existing arena structure.

First Place: McClure

Kindred Resorts, Keystone, Colorado

Josh Garton, P.E., S.E., Technical Manager
McClure

McClure earned first place in the residential/hospitality category for Kindred Resorts. The multi-building mountain resort featured highly complex roof geometry and extreme structural loading conditions.

Located in a Colorado ski-resort environment, the project was designed for snow loads ranging from 100 to 200 psf. The structure also resisted significant seismic drag forces and vertical seismic loading. The roof system included vaulted ceilings, multi-plane geometry, long spans and integrated attic mechanical systems.

McClure’s delegated scope included engineering, detailing and modeling of the roof framing system. Over the course of construction, the engineering team resolved more than 100 field-driven issues. These involved embeds, weld access, clip substitutions, diaphragm transitions and complex load paths.

Second Place: Steel-IQ

Riviera Lane Residence, Southlake, Texas

Najeeb Khan, Founder & CEO
Steel-IQ, Inc.

Steel-IQ received second place for the Riviera Lane Residence, a luxury single-family home built entirely with cold-formed steel framing. The home has no traditional wood framing or structural steel systems.

The project featured steep mansard rooflines, vaulted ceilings, curved dormers and complex geometric transitions. These conditions required highly customized framing solutions. Engineers developed piggyback CFS truss systems to manage the long spans and complex roof forms while maintaining continuous load paths.

The project also incorporated engineered curved framing systems, segmented members and advanced digital coordination. These elements achieved precise architectural detailing while minimizing field modifications during construction.

Third Place: Martin/Martin

Revival on Platte, Denver, Colorado

Grant Doherty, Senior Project Engineer
Martin/Martin, Inc.

Martin/Martin earned third place for Revival on Platte, a seven-story, load-bearing, cold-formed steel building. The developers constructed the residential structure over a two-level concrete podium.

The project emphasized prefabrication and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) principles through extensive use of panelized wall systems and prefabricated floor cassettes produced by Mortenson Construction’s BLUvera operation.

Engineers developed innovative solutions for tall stair shafts, exterior elevator shafts and rated wall assemblies, reducing reliance on structural steel and concrete. The project also required BIM coordination among the architect, engineers and MEP teams to integrate the framing with the other building systems.

First Place: Martin/Martin

Revival on Platte, Denver, Colorado

Grant Doherty, Senior Project Engineer
Martin/Martin, Inc.

Martin/Martin earned first place in the Creative Detail category for an innovative horizontal lifeline (HLL) connection detail developed for the Revival on Platte project in Denver.

A challenge emerged after the roof framing was installed. The required HLL anchor spacing did not align with the typical cold-formed steel roof framing layout, creating significant challenges. To solve the problem, the team developed a custom detail that distributed loads across multiple joists. Engineers added joist blocking at anchor locations, tied the blocking into the diaphragm and used clips to resist additional shear forces generated by the lifeline system.

One of the most innovative aspects of the detail used shear wall hold-down anchors welded directly to joist stiffeners. Because standard hold-downs could not fit within the 10-inch joist depth while providing adequate capacity, the team modified larger hold-down anchors as a solution.

Second Place: Excel Engineering

Rutter’s No. 82, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Joe Wilkum, Project Manager
Excel Engineering, Inc.

Excel Engineering earned second place in the Creative Detail category for a unique non-bearing shear wall detail developed for the Rutter’s No. 82 convenience store project in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

The single-story structure used non-load-bearing cold-formed steel infill framing attached to structural steel framing through slip connections. During review of the structural plans, engineers identified plywood shear walls combined with slip-track framing conditions that created concerns regarding proper lateral load transfer.

Limited industry guidance existed for slipped shear wall applications. So, Excel Engineering developed a creative collector detail using a wide-flange stud positioned within a slotted slip track to transfer shear forces while still supporting vertical movement from live-load deflection. The detail set up a continuous load path from the structural steel beam through the slotted slip track, wide-flange collector, top track and plywood sheathing.

Third Place: McClure

Legends 267 Apartments, Kansas City, Kansas

Marcus Himmelberg, P.E., Structural Team Leader
McClure

McClure also received recognition in the Creative Detail category for Legends 267 Apartments, a five-story cold-formed steel residential structure constructed above a three-story precast parking podium.

The project required detailing to transfer loads from the CFS structure into the precast podium system while accommodating precast camber, punching shear limitations and complex diaphragm load transfer conditions.

Engineers developed custom support details using tube members, embed plates and header studs. These details distributed shear-wall reactions into the precast topping slab while maintaining construction tolerances and preserving the overall cold-formed steel lateral system. The solution allowed the project team to avoid more expensive alternative systems. It also delivered a durable, high-density residential structure above the parking podium.

CFSEI Stipend Program Winners

Recipients of the 2026 CFSEI Expo Stipend Program gather during the conference in Long Beach, California. The program supports young engineers and their university instructors. Winners received Expo registration and $1,200 for travel and lodging expenses.

Dr. Benjamin Schafer Honored

CFSEI named Benjamin Schafer, Ph.D., P.E., F.SEI, of Johns Hopkins University as the recipient of the 2026 John P. Matsen Award for Distinguished Service. The award recognizes individuals who have dedicated their time, expertise and leadership to advancing the cold-formed steel industry.

Schafer has made numerous contributions to the steel framing industry. He has served on the AISI Committee on Specifications and Committee on Framing Standards — now the SFIA Standards Committee. Schafer also serves as a liaison between the CFS industry and numerous standards-writing and professional organizations, including AISC and ASCE.

He was instrumental in adding AISI S100 to AISC 360. Schafer has written and reviewed dozens of cold-formed steel design guides and CFSEI Tech Notes. He has also spoken around the world in support of advancing CFS design.

Schafer also formed a group of CFS researchers to advance CFS design and standards. This later became the Cold-Formed Steel Research Consortium (CFSRC). He coordinated major research initiatives involving CFS seismic design and resistance. In addition, he helped LGSEA transition to CFSEI and served as CFSEI’s first president.

Additional Resources

• More Than 250 Engineers Gather in Long Beach for 2026 CFSEI Expo (May 18-20)
• Attendees Profited from a Great Speaker Lineup at 2026 CFSEI Expo in Long Beach, California (May 18-20)
• Guidance on Out-of-Plane Bracing Forces for Load-Bearing CFS Walls During CLT Floor Panel Installation
• CFSEI Releases Tech Note J200-26: Vibration of Cold-Formed Steel Joist Framed Floors