Clients Brief or vision:
The design brief called for a variety of balustrades, in glazed structural, stainless steel and glass and tubular stainless steel. The glazed structural balustrades, incorporated the installation of a base channel, mounted onto the concrete slabs with 12.76mm thick toughened and laminated glass panels grouted into the channel. Stainless steel cast handrail brackets with stainless steel rectangular section handrails, finished off the detail.
The complexity of this design was due to certain atrium sections being designed to incorporate the fire escape loading requirements of 3kN per metre loading. These sections were created as solid barriers which are curved on plan, 1000mm high at the highest point, tapering down to finished floor level to form waves. The challenge for us was having shaped glass panels which vary in height into a base channel that is profiled to follow the wave and profile of the rise and fall of the solid walls.
Stainless steel uprights with toughened laminated glass panels, attached to the posts with machined “bull horn” fittings and stainless steel discs and handrails. Uprights core drilled into the slabs and secured with a non-shrink structural grout.
Rectangular section uprights and handrails, round intermediate rails in brushed stainless steel. Uprights core drilled into the slabs and secured with a non-shrink structural grout.
Wall mounted “mopstick” handrails, in rectangular section, attached to stairwell walls with a purpose made stainless steel elbow and structural adhesive.
Time frame from concept to completion and everything in between:
Our interaction with Paragon Architects started in May 2015. Initial design discussions were held with regards to the brief and design intent. Concept sketches were done in conjunction with our Structural Engineers, and the Architects and Client, to a point were an acceptable structural detail met with the required aesthetic of the balustrade. The work was completed during the first quarter of 2017.
A series of discussions were held with the Client, Architect and Structural and Fire Engineer, to come up with a solution to meet the requirements of SANS for Escape Routes to enable us to cost engineer a solution accommodating numerous Code requirements. Again, curved or bent panels of glass were used, as well as straight panels to follow the organic shapes designed into the atriums areas.
The professional team that we worked with:
Zenprop, Paragon Architects, Quanticost Quantity Surveyors, and WBHO Construction.
Design and Engineering work done by Steel Studio to make the architectural design and the client’s dream come to life in a practical manner. Once again, we were called on to find effective engineered balustrade solutions to fit the Architects design aesthetic, mandatory SANS requirements, Client’s budget and installation practicalities.
