Innovating Requires
Teamwork

Much of Eckmann’s problem-solving has involved the use of steel. “One reason I’m drawn to structural steel as a building material is that it has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any building material out there,” says Eckmann.

That structural power brings creative flexibility, too. “I’m very interested in light and transparency,” he adds, “and steel is the material that allows me to achieve that. It’s incredibly efficient when spanning long distances, and that’s an objective in many of our projects: Fewer columns and larger spaces ... steel allows us to do that.”

As an engineer, Eckmann is enthusiastic about using steel as a building material. “It’s just going to continue to get better,” he says. “It’s always going to be there. As we’re seeing now, higher-strength steels are available, and that’s wonderful in the sense that we are able to use less of the material—which is great from an environmental perspective—to support the same types of loads.”

Important steel innovations are often achieved when fabricators and architects collaborate, bringing their unique knowledge and backgrounds to the table. For instance, Eckmann discovered that welded connections using Aeos™ (A913) steel require less preheat. That kind of insight can help a team find solutions to a variety of projects.

Because of his deep, versatile knowledge of steel, Eckmann sees the partnership between design and construction as incredibly important, and innovating with teamwork as essential.

“We like to engage as many bright minds as possible,” he says. “We’re involved in Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) projects where the trade partners or contractors and subcontractors are sitting at the same table with us from the beginning. Obviously, we know how to design and detail, but they know how to procure and construct. So, when we put all those bright minds together, we can do amazing things.”