BrandSafway’s Awards Reveal the Hidden Engineering Behind Modern Marvels

ATLANTA, Georgia – August 31, 2026 – In the world of massive construction and historic preservation, the final product—a gleaming bridge, a restored landmark—captures the public imagination. But behind the finished façade lies a complex, often invisible world of engineering that makes it all possible. This month, the Scaffold Access and Industry Association (SAIA) cast a spotlight on that world, honoring BrandSafway with two of its most prestigious Project of the Year awards. The recognition, for work on two vastly different but equally iconic American structures, does more than add trophies to a corporate mantelpiece; it illuminates the strategic imperative of specialized access solutions in an era of unprecedented project complexity.

The company, a global leader in access and specialty services, took home the ‘Industrial Collaborative’ award for its role in revitalizing the historic Hangar One in Silicon Valley and the ‘Mast Driven Hoists & Platforms’ award for its critical work on the new Harbor Bridge in Texas. These are not just participation prizes. The SAIA awards are a benchmark of excellence, safety, and ingenuity in an industry where the stakes are measured in millimeters and human lives. For BrandSafway, these dual wins underscore a core competency: providing the foundational framework that allows architects and builders to defy gravity and redefine what’s possible.

Preserving a Cathedral of Aviation

Hangar One at Moffett Federal Airfield is not merely a large building; it is a monument. A relic of the airship era built in the early 1930s, its skeletal frame covers eight acres and stands as one of the world’s largest freestanding structures. When Planetary Ventures, a Google subsidiary, undertook its complete restoration, the task was monumental. The goal was to transform the decaying landmark into a state-of-the-art R&D facility while preserving its historic soul. This meant tackling decades of contamination from lead paint and asbestos and executing a full structural reskinning.

Enter BrandSafway, commissioned by prime contractor McCarthy Building Companies to solve a colossal access problem. How do you safely and efficiently give workers access to every inch of a 1,133-foot-long, 198-foot-high structure with a complex curved roof? The solution was a breathtaking feat of temporary architecture. The team installed an astonishing 600 miles of its Safway Systems scaffolding, enough to stretch from Atlanta to Chicago. Suspended inside the hangar’s cavernous interior was 175,000 square feet of the company’s QuikDeck® Suspended Access System, creating a massive, solid work platform hanging in mid-air.

This effort, which required over 5,000 hours of dedicated engineering expertise, was the very definition of a collaborative success. It allowed McCarthy’s teams to execute the complex abatement and reskinning work in a highly controlled, sequential manner. “Without a meticulously engineered access plan, a project of this historical sensitivity and scale is simply not feasible,” noted one industry consultant familiar with the project. The SAIA award for ‘Industrial Collaborative’ recognizes this symbiotic relationship, where the access provider becomes an integral strategic partner, not just a supplier.

Forging the Future of Infrastructure

If Hangar One was about preserving the past, BrandSafway’s second award-winning project is firmly about building the future. The Harbor Bridge Replacement Project in Corpus Christi, Texas, is one of the most ambitious infrastructure undertakings in the United States. Owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and developed by Flatiron/Dragados, LLC, the new cable-stayed bridge will become the longest of its kind in the nation upon completion. Its two pylons soar 538 feet, making it the tallest point in South Texas and enabling larger ships to access the vital Port of Corpus Christi.

Here, the challenge was not historical preservation but the raw physics of new construction on a massive scale, executed in a harsh coastal environment. BrandSafway was tasked with designing and providing access systems that could adapt to the bridge’s unique configuration and its phased construction schedule. The company deployed its versatile GASS® shoring system, over 1,000 feet of custom-designed stair towers for vertical access, and its QuikDeck® platforms to provide safe working areas beneath the bridge deck.

The ‘Mast Driven Hoists & Platforms’ award specifically highlights the ingenuity required to move people and materials vertically and horizontally on a structure that is constantly changing. The ability to engineer bespoke hoist and platform solutions that integrate seamlessly with the primary construction effort is a core disruptor in the field. It accelerates timelines and, most critically, enhances worker safety on a project where the work environment is inherently hazardous. The bridge, designed for a 170-year lifespan, required a partner whose solutions were equally robust and reliable.

A Pattern of Industry Leadership

While the Hangar One and Harbor Bridge projects are standout achievements, they are part of a consistent pattern for BrandSafway. This is not a company that stumbled into the spotlight. A review of SAIA’s recent history shows BrandSafway as a perennial winner, securing three awards in 2022 for projects including the dizzying Central Park Tower in New York City. The company’s finalist nods this year for its work on the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center—home to the Space Shuttle Endeavor—and the complex canopy roof at Miami Freedom Park Stadium further demonstrate the breadth of its capabilities.

“The entire BrandSafway team is honored to receive this recognition from SAIA,” said BrandSafway President and CEO Gabriel McCabe in a statement. “BrandSafway has the expertise, innovation, reputation for safety and trusted relationships that enable us to contribute to some of the most significant construction and infrastructure projects in the world.”

This claim is backed by more than just awards. With a portfolio of 165 patents, the company invests heavily in proprietary technology. This focus on innovation allows it to create custom solutions that competitors relying on off-the-shelf systems cannot match. As one of the largest players in the market, with nearly 40,000 employees across 340 locations, it leverages economies of scale while deploying expert local teams, a combination of global strength and local agility that clients on complex projects demand.

From a strategic perspective, BrandSafway’s success illustrates a structural shift in the construction marketplace. As projects become more technologically advanced, more ambitious, and more heavily regulated, the role of specialized subcontractors has evolved from tactical supplier to essential strategic partner. The ability to provide integrated, engineered solutions for forming, shoring, and access is no longer a commodity; it is a critical competitive advantage. The work may be temporary, dismantled after the concrete sets and the steel is sealed, but its impact on the safety, efficiency, and ultimate success of a project is permanent.