Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS2) Awards

Steel has a unique ability to bring complex design visions to life quickly, efficiently, and sustainably.

The American Institute of Steel Construction’s Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS²) Award program recognizes projects that illustrate the exciting possibilities of building with structural steel.

We’re looking for exceptional projects that demonstrate how domestically fabricated structural steel fosters superior:

• Engineering excellence
• Architectural excellence
• Adaptive reuse
• Sustainability; and
• Constructability.

What’s at stake? Winners will be invited to present their project to the industry at the Architecture in Steel conference, which is incorporated into NASCC: The Steel Conference (April 2 to 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky.). They’ll also be featured in the May 2025 issue of Modern Steel Construction magazine and in other AISC media throughout the year.

There is no fee to enter the competition.

WHO CAN ENTER?

• Any member of a project's team can submit it for an IDEAS² award. However, a fabricator, erector, detailer, or other firm eligible for AISC Full or Associate membership submitting a project themselves must be an AISC member in good standing at the time of entry. New buildings, expansions, and renovation projects (major retrofits and rehabilitations) are eligible. Sculptures, art installations, and non-building structures may also compete in the regular categories.
• Building projects in the 2025 competition must be located in the U.S. and must be completed (either occupied or ready for occupancy) between January 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024.
• At least 75% of the structural steel for the project must have been produced and fabricated in the U.S. by companies eligible for AISC full membership in a facility located in the U.S.
• A significant portion of the framing system of a building must be wide-flange or hollow structural steel sections (HSS).
• Pedestrian bridges entered in the competition must be an intrinsic part of a building and not stand-alone structures. If you would like to submit a bridge project, we encourage you to enter the National Steel Bridge Alliance's 2026 Prize Bridge Awards, which will start accepting entries around May 2025.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

In preparing to enter, we suggest you think about the following:

• how your project advances the use of structural steel, either technically or in architectural expression
• how using architecturally exposed structural steel (AESS) and coordinating structural steel elements with other materials elevated the aesthetic impact of the project 
• how your project applied innovative design approaches in areas such as connections, gravity systems, lateral load resisting systems, fire protection, and blast protection
• how innovative design and construction methods such as 3D building models, interoperability, early integration of steel fabricators, modular or prefab design, alternative methods of project delivery, and sustainability or resiliency considerations improved your project
• how implementing new and evolving principles and tools that drive the progression of modern design and project planning, such as data-driven design and the use of technology such as drones, VR, and AR for design and construction review