News & Insights
Salas O’Brien recognized for excellence in cold-formed steel design
The cold-formed steel (CFS) design of a fan platform and bridge at the Barclays Center earns third place in the municipal category of the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute’s Annual Design Excellence Awards.
Salas O’Brien is excited to announce that its structural engineering team was recognized by the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) with third place in the municipal category at the Design Excellence Awards for the CFS framing design of the Barclays Center Modelo Bridge and Fan Zone. Salas O’Brien received the award during CFSEI’s annual expo and conference in Long Beach, California. CFSEI is a national organization comprised of structural engineers and other design professionals. Its annual Design Excellence Awards program recognizes outstanding achievement in creative design, technical innovation, and overall project excellence in the use of CFS, according to the CSFEI website.
Modelo® Bridge and Fan Zone CFS Design
In 2025, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, completed phase two of a multi‑phased $100 million renovation focused on enhancing the arena’s guest experience. A centerpiece of the renovation is the Modelo Bridge and Fan Zone, a new two‑level, 6,800‑square‑foot standing‑room platform deck on the west end of the upper concourse. Open to all arena guests, it is a destination for halftime performances, fan contests, and other entertainment. It is designed as a dramatic bridge structure that evokes landmark bridges connecting Brooklyn to New York’s boroughs and incorporates authentic materials, colors, and cabling to bring a sense of the city inside the arena. Salas O’Brien provided design for the project’s interior structural CFS framing, including the Bridge’s bi‑level platform and upper concourse fan zone.
The new Bridge and Fan Zone was constructed by over-framing the existing tiered structure with a bi‑level CFS platform, requiring a 10-foot-tall platform at its highest point. Key challenges included coordinating complex occupancy and construction loading conditions. The final CFS design addressed in‑plane axial loads, comprehensive lateral bracing, and clearly defined load transfers to support the Structural Engineer of Record’s analysis and overall project performance.
For more information, including all the 2026 CFSEI Design Excellence award winners, visit CSFEI’s website.
About Salas O’Brien
Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. Our team is engineered for impact®, helping clients solve complex engineering challenges with a focus on efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability, while advancing our team members through growth and opportunity. We are a top firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, and we have appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of North America’s fastest-growing private companies for over a decade.
For media inquiries, contact [email protected].