Nucor and Habitat for Humanity team up to make family's Christmas wish come true
In Decatur, Illinois, volunteers from Nucor and Morgan County Habitat for Humanity have been working around the clock to finish a steel house which will be presented as a very special Christmas gift for a family in need.
Built by Nucor Steel Decatur, the prefabricated steel house features steel frames for its floor, roof and walls, and represents the local Habitat for Humanity chapter's first steel-frame house. It could very well be the first steel-framed house of any kind in Morgan county, Nucor workers told press.
"With the vinyl siding and the steel, it will probably outlast anything on this street," site manager and Nucor employee Roger Handley said Wednesday. Mr. Handley went on to say that Nucor hopes to sponsor additional Habitat houses, featuring even more steel components.
The lucky recipients of this special home are Donna Underwood and her four children, ages 8 to 14.
"Owning a home is a dream come true, but Nucor has made it more than I could have ever imagined," she said.
The builders and planners will hold a dedication ceremony for the house on Friday.
Utah gallery features multiple steel artists
In steel-related art news, "Sculptures in Steel" by Utah artist Dan Toone will be on display through January 30 at the Iao Gallery in Salt Lake City.
Toone says that the most rewarding part of making art out of steel "is taking the normally rigid and structural steel and turning it into smooth, unconstrained, flowing lines similar to those found in nature."
Toone's sculptures will be joining the gallery's other current exhibition of steel and wood sculptures by Tim Little and JinManJo.
The "Sculptures in Steel" collection is not yet featured on the Iao Gallery's website, but the site does feature some works of JinManJo, another Utah artist which uses mostly steel as a medium. Click here to see JinManJo's abstract expressionist steel sculptures.
Steel Cake is "bringing watches back"
Would you like a piece of cake? How about a piece of steel cake? Don't worry, you don't have to eat it - Steel Cake is a new Brooklyn-based watch company.
The company was founded by two young designers, Matthew Burnett and James Nelson. Twenty-two year old Matthew is one of the youngest jewelry designers in the country.
Some of Steel Cake's creations include the "Steel Square Chrono," which features matte stainless steel square-shaped face, and the "Steel Tag," which features black ion-plated stainless steel with a small watch face - sort of a pocketwatch for the modern age.
Burnett told press about the collection, "Technological advances have made many young adults rely on cell phones and computers to tell time. It's my goal to bring back the fashion appeal of watches with a new look."
Currently, the watches are only available in select boutiques in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Detroit.
Pictures and pricing for these unique pieces can be found at www.steelcake.com
Contractors botch $1.7 million courthouse restoration project.
Contractors working on the historic Polk County Courthouse in North Carolina have discovered the reason why some of the building's structure is weak - bundles of steel wool were substituted for bricks in several places.
"Looking from the ground, you'd never know the steel wool wasn't bricks," Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson said at a commissioners' meeting this week.
The commissioners weren't surprised though, as the steel wool was just one of many problems that have been found with the $1.7 million courthouse restoration project completed in 2001.
In addition to ordering the rebuilding of the two non-functional chimneys, the commissioners had to have the county maintenance department remove trash, including pipes and boards that were found underneath the courthouse after the previous renovation project. The paint on the front of the courthouse also started to peel off shortly after the renovation project finished in 2001.
Contractors also recently found that the courthouse roof had several large holes in some of the wood boards and gaps between many holes. As a result, the county recently approved a $15,000 addition to cover the roof with plywood.
The current structural and exterior repair project, which began last month, is being handled by Midwest Maintenance, Inc., costing an additional $1 million in tax payer dollars.