With the on-going requirements to comply to SANS, many contractors, balustrade designers or installers are finding themselves in hot water. Many do not realise that the professional responsible for the design of a balustrade, staircase or pool enclosure system is also liable for any damages, injury or death caused by the failure of their facility. Steel Studio offers an aesthetically pleasing range of balustrades, staircases and pool enclosures that comply to the regulations set out by SANS. We offer to take the liability and worry away from the professional, like an architect, by giving them a product that complies to SANS and takes the correct load it is supposed to take. Unlike many manufacturers, we don’t have a range of products that you can necessarily pick off a shelf. Instead, we custom design a system that is unique for each project. We engage with our clients to identify their desired balustrade, pool enclosure or staircase requirements, from there we manufacture a final product that meets the atheistic desires of the client, while ensuring that it complies to the regulations of SANS. We are yet to discover another organisation that offers a customised, compliant solution for all of their projects, while being willing to take liability for their installation, should they chose the SANS compliant systems we offer. For many, it is difficult to understand the price discrepancy between a pre-assembled, non-compliant product with no form of liability guarantee and our custom made, SANS compliant and liability guaranteed products. While many can offer lower prices, none of our competitors can offer the peace of mind that comes with our range of SANS compliant balustrade, staircase or pool enclosures. By confusing consumers with a barrage of technical requirements that many industry professionals struggle to grasp, shady contractors will pull the wool over their client’s eyes and provide them with a dangerous and poorly installed final product that will put lives at risk and will almost certainly incur huge repair costs in the future. Unless you are confident that you can oversee and manage your contractors to ensure they are compliant, select the appropriate materials and follow compliant techniques, cutting costs on your installation will only result in you incurring far greater costs at a later stage. A balustrade installer that custom designs all of their products to each project’s specifications, that takes liability for their SANS complaint designs and offers products that comply with SANS, doesn’t come cheap. But ask yourself something; would you be comfortable if you knew that the people using your staircases or balustrades were putting their lives at risk every time they used your facility?
Prevent your balustrade installation from being a disaster
We took a recent visit to the site of a botched balustrade installation and opened up a hornet’s nest of aesthetic and safety concerns for everyone that utilises the facility. Unsightly and inappropriate welding choices, incorrect alignment, poor bend quality and insufficient horizontal load capacity all pointed to one thing: the job simply did not comply with the requirements of SANS 10160 for handrail installations. Complying to SANS is vital in ensuring that your building project is safe for everyone that uses the building or facility. To help you avoid running the risk of a similar disaster happening on your site, here are a few pointers from our very own SASSDA member Dave Braithwaite. Read more here
Get ready for a new and improved Steel Studio in 2014
It’s early 2014 and Steel Studio has just moved into their newly completed, bigger and better head office and manufacturing facility in Johannesburg. Well it’s not quite 2014 just yet, but that’s the plan anyway. We broke ground at the beginning of September and are hoping to be finished in early 2014. To say we’re excited is an understatement. We’ve contracted who we feel are the best in the business to take care of the project.Bantry Construction are the building contractors, All Things Equal (ATE) are the development managers, A3 Architects in Bedfordview designed the building andKnutton Consulting are the engineers. We are building this new, larger building to accommodate the expanding market, our growing work force and the launch of our new products. The building will be one of 27 buildings in the new Linbro Business Park Phase 6 Extension. The developers of this new extension are Stratford Property Ventures. “We’re already at capacity at our current building and parking is proving to be a huge issue. Our new building will have enough parking for our 35 installation team vehicles, staff members, visitors and will have plenty of room for expansion.” Adds Rob Blackbeard, founder of Steel Studio. We were determined to remain located at Linbro Business Park as the area is clean and upmarket. Unlike most metal workers who have offices in outlying, industrial areas that are unpleasant for others to visit, we wanted to remain in close to proximity Sandton and the main highway so that our clients will continue to feel comfortable when visiting our offices. The new building will be visually appealing and will complement the launch of our new brand identity, which aims to reflect our mission of fresh and innovative technology and design. We designed a Hi End feature staircase for the main entrance of the building to showcase our workmanship and design abilities to anyone who comes to visit. We want to impress our potential and current clients when we invite them around for meetings at our premises and we are confident that our new building will do just that. Just like we have with our current head office and old corporate identity, we’ve outgrown our previous website and have since redesigned it to portray our organisation in a more appropriate manner. We are confident that 2014 will see the launch of a bigger and better Steel Studio that is consistent across all traditional and digital mediums.
What makes stainless steel stainless?
Stainless steel is a term that is thrown around quite a lot these days, but very few people actually understand the commonly used metal. We see it used in a variety of places and objects such as our knives and forks, our taps and on our staircases, pool enclosures and balustrades. [Read more…] about What makes stainless steel stainless?
Steel Studio adds their touches to the new Rwandan Social Security Board headquarters building
At Steel Studio we’re proud to announce that we will be responsible for the manufacture and installation of the stainless steel and glass balustrades on the Rwandan Social Security Board headquarters. The building is located in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, a city well known for being the economic, cultural, and transportation hub of Rwanda since it became the capital,when independence was achieved in 1962. Kigali is also home to the main residence and offices of Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda. “Expanding our footprint through Africa is one of our main goals and the Rwandan Social Security Board headquarters is a big achievement for us. We sent a dedicated team of highly skilled professionals all the way to the building site to ensure the highest level of workmanship possible.” The architects for the project are DNA Design Associates. DNA Design Associates create memorable, brand-rich experiences for retail, corporate and public spaces. Through their expertise in commercial and retail interior design, they create a unique visual expression. Check their website out here. The well renowned team were responsible for the design and build of the interiors fit out for the RSSB headquarters building. It has been a great pleasure working with them on the project. The balustrade value for the project is R2.5 million and it covers 11 floors of the building as well as the basement clinic. The Rwandan Social Security Board is an organisation which was established by the Rwandan government in 2009 to contribute towards the socio-economic transformation in the country. The board was founded when the President of the Republic, Paul Kagame approved the merging of all social security institutions into one financial institution, namely the Rwanda Social Security Board. The Rwandan Social Security Board’s vision is to provide high quality social security services, ensure efficient collection, benefits provision, management and investment of member’s funds. “Adding our stainless steel and glass balustrades to this building is an honour for us at Steel Studio. By installing a visually pleasing, yet safe barrier to the interior of the building, we’re ensuring that the building offers no risks to users while adding to the overall, eye catching design of the structure.” Concludes Rob.
Cell C gets new head offices in the Waterfall Estate in Midrand
We’re delighted to announce our involvement in the construction of the new Cell C Head Offices in Midrand. The new head offices are being constructed in the new Waterfall Estate, which is expected to close the gap between Tshwane and Johannesburg. The building is set to cover 46, 000 m2 and if all goes to schedule, it’ll be ready for occupancy by the end of the year. Alongside the Head Office facilities, the new Cell C building will include a customer walk in centre, an IT centre and a warehouse. “A 6mm cable balustrade system was supplied to suite the prestige and sleek design of this commercial development. There are various benefits to this type of balustrade system, namely that 6mm cable balustrades offer sufficient strength to allow SANS compliance, while being unobtrusive in public spaces due to their size.” The stainless steel cables have additional benefits other than their aesthetic qualities. The cables are 100{19cc6dfde2095820d75378ef5ea2a7429af84c4e3caa3f1811d59515c3bb9677} recyclable and if maintained correctly will have an endless lifespan, something that few products can offer. The Waterfall estate will be rolled out over the next 10 -15 years and will serve the rapidly expanding property market in the area. “We’re delighted to be involved in a prestigious project such as the new Cell C Head Office” concludes Braithwaite.
Is your new building project SANS compliant?
As South Africa moves towards a far more regulated building industry, more and more homeowners find themselves unaware that they are on the wrong side of these regulations. SANS are a set of guidelines that ensure your building project is safe and able to deal with the task at hand. What does that mean for you as a consumer? Well your new staircase, balustrade or pool enclosure might not be able to withstand the loads that it is burdened with. These codes are extremely technical and detailed and make reference of different loading (Kilo Newton/meter) for different occupancy classifications. In layman’s terms the load a balustrade must be able to withstand in a shopping centre is substantially more than in a residential dwelling. In terms of SANS, installations need to be signed off by an engineer. This sign off is crucial when getting an occupation certificate. The building inspector requires this professional engineer’s sign off before an occupation certificate can be issued. It has therefore become a critical requirement that manufacturers and installers comply with SANS. There are multiple impact tests that apply to various occupancy classifications. There are specific heights and widths which differ for the several occupancies as well as incorporating the disability act. There are literally hundreds of these specifications which need to be taken into account when designing, manufacturing and installing a balustrade system. As it currently stands, it is ultimately the client’s responsibility to ensure that their balustrades comply with SANS. To avoid liability, ensure that your manufacturer and installer has an engineer sign off on your project. Also make sure that your balustrade and staircase company complies with SANS in terms of their design capabilities, manufacturing processes and installation. By following these steps you can ensure that your building is firstly compliant with the regulations, but more importantly safe for all that use it. This recent shift to a far more regulated building industry is in response to the fact that many projects have placed emphasis on form over function and in the process neglected the concern for the safety of those utilising the facility. To allow for the SANS compliant yet design focused construction of balustrades, staircases and pool enclosures a new compound of steel would be needed. This steel would need to be impossibly thin, while still being able to withstand the loads required to pass SANS requirements.
Portside: raising the bar for sustainable architecture in South Africa
At Steel Studio, we’re proud to announce our involvement in the impressive Portside building in Cape Town. The building is the first high rise office development in South Africa to achieve the prestigious title of a 5 Star “Design” Rating under the Green Building Council of South Africa’s (GBCSA) Green Star rating system for offices. This is a landmark moment in South African sustainable architecture and we’re very honoured to add our touches to the building. The stunning building was designed in a joint venture by DHK Architects and Louis Karol Architects and is being built by Murray & Roberts. The R1.6 billon project is a joint venture between Old Mutual and Firstrand Bank and is set to be a defining milestone in the up and coming financial district in the Foreshore area of Cape Town’s Central Business District. The building is located in the Central City Urban Conservation Area and the relationship between its historical context and urban ecology is fitting considering the building’s first of its kind “green” status. The striking building combines the legacy of the fast growing, world-class city of Cape Town with the environmental sustainability of the building’s progressive architectural design and the picturesque surrounds of the Western Cape. When initially proposed in 2008, the building was set to include a hotel and stand 147.6m above sea level. However the recent financial recession of the late 2000s and the challenges faced with securing a hotel management contact put the project on hold for nearly 3 years and the design was eventually altered. The new design, which was greatly influenced by public participation, was reconfigured to remain below a certain height so that it would not obscure the world renowned view of Table Mountain.
The Portside building is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014.
It will feature 32 floors, stand at a reduced 139m, have more than 52 000m2 of office space, 1 200m2 of retail and banking space, 1 382 parking bays and will be accessible from all sides on the ground level. In the ownership agreement which was concluded in 2011, half of the tower will house the provincial headquarters of First Rand Bank, namely its three divisions, FNB, RMB and Wesbank. There will also be a cutting-edge banking hall covering an entire floor. The remaining floors of the building will include 26 000m2 of AAA premium grade office space and 7 retail units available for leasing through Old Mutual Property. We’re confident that the building will achieve its vision to create a landmark greenstar-rated tall building with firm commitment to sustainable & responsible development when it is completed.
Timber versus stainless steel balustrades
South African modern architecture incorporates a lot of balustrades in its designs. The popularity of balustrades is continually on the rise thanks to new manufacturing and design methods and state of the art technology continually entering the market. There are many different types of balustrades manufactured using a wide array of materials. The application of the balustrades needs to be considered when selecting the material from which to manufacture it. In South Africa in particular, with its warm climate presents very clear guidelines to stick to when deciding on which materials to incorporate in balustrade designs. This is especially true for balustrades that will be applied in exterior designs.
Timber Balustrades
Timber elements are a popular medium to work with in the design and manufacture of balustrades. It is also the most flexible material to use in the manufacture of simple and turned horizontal balustrades. Apart from creating the conventional balustrade using timber, you can also give the property a more modern look by using this material. Timber has remained a consistently popular material for the design of staircases and balustrades. These types of balustrades are skillfully crafted to maintain the perfect balance of the staircase. These are unique in both modern and antique styles, and allows for a lot of freedom in terms of design of the balustrade. Aside from the safety features and benefits that timber allows for, this type of balustrade adds a lot of classic features and style to the home. You will have your pick from different coloured timber that can be incorporated in the design. This makes it easier to decide on a design that will truly complement your building’s architecture. The use of timber, however, has been reduced in the manufacturing of staircases and balustrades. The reason for this is because homeowners and consumers in general have become more concerned about saving the environment. Therefore, timber has given way to other more environmentally friendly materials for the design and manufacturing of balustrades.
Stainless Steel Balustrades
The popularity of stainless steel as a medium for the design of balustrades is on the rise in South Africa. There are many reasons for this rising popularity, not least because of its environmentally friendly traits. While many other balustrades are still being manufactured, stainless steel is a great way to add an expressive decorative touch to the property while still investing in a balustrade that will offer the required support, and can be used both on the exterior and interior of properties. This type of balustrade is a beautiful alternative to timber balustrades for the design of a staircase. Since the stainless steel can be moulded to curve or have complex designs or be plain in design, its ultimate look is often quite outstanding. It adds another dimension of texture to the staircase. These balustrades are very resilient and robust, and will require a lot less maintenance and upkeep than their timber counterparts. Aside from the practical reasons for its use and its beautiful appearance, stainless steel balustrades are also oftentimes the more cost effective option for both indoor and outdoor use. In most cases stainless steel will cost far less than a similar timber design would, and will require less maintenance over the years. It is also rather easy to replace should the need arise and can accentuate a modern building’s design. At Steel Studio International we use both grades 304 and 316 in the design of our stainless steel balustrades. Another popular type of balustrade manufactured by Steel Studio includes glass, which is environmentally friendly and easy to maintain. Contact us to discuss your needs and to design your custom-made stainless steel or glass balustrade.
Get a quote on custom built steel, glass and timber balustrades
More often people are looking to get a quote on custom built steel, glass and timber balustrades for their homes and corporate properties. The need for quality and sturdy balustrades has never been higher, with new technology making it possible to design and install intricately designed balustrades. At Steel Studio International our seasoned team of commercial and residential sales professionals are able to accurately interpret the architect, builder and property or homeowner’s brief. Our team of experts will also work with you to ensure your balustrades are customised to complement the property’s aesthetics to taste. We will do so by working in your budget and leave you with a quality installed and manufactured product at an affordable price. Through our extensive product range selection we are able to incorporate a vast choice of materials together with the stainless steel to give your home or commercial property a balustrade that fits in well with the building style. Popular systems can include glass, timber and stainless steel products, as well as laser cut outline posts or tubular stainless steel posts and tubular intermediate rails. It is also possible to incorporate elements of cable and timber into the designs of the design of the balustrades.
Detailed Drawings
Our clients are presented with detailed drawings for approval prior to the manufacture and installation process. This will ensure that the client remains entirely satisfied and completely up to date with the design to be installed at their property. Our sales professionals are fully qualified by years of industry experience to advise clients on the best grade of stainless steel for your balustrades. We deal in two grades of stainless steel utilised in our balustrades and staircases:
- Grade 304: This grade of metal is the basic chromium nickel austenitic steel. It is suitable for most types of applications. Clients often opt for Grade 304 for its excellent resistance to corrosion that usually occurs due to prolonged exposure to the elements. This grade is most often used for both exterior and interior applications and environments.
- Grade 316: People opt for grade 316 steel most often because of its exceptional corrosion resistance thanks to the presence of molybdenum. This high level of corrosion resistance is usually called for in instances where severe corrosion conditions exist, such as in coastal environments.
Going Green
As a higher emphasis is continually being placed on limiting our environmental footprint, architects, building contractors, developers and designers are continually looking into green architecture and construction. These industry professionals are selecting green architectural products to use in their building designs and it is to this need that our product design appeals. Stainless steel is completely recyclable and more than 65{19cc6dfde2095820d75378ef5ea2a7429af84c4e3caa3f1811d59515c3bb9677} of all new stainless steel products make use of recycled materials. In many regards the main objective of the stainless steel industry is to curb waste. These are only a few of the reasons why so many construction professionals are completely at ease recommending our “green” products to their clients. With over 60 years’ combined industry experience, you can look forward to hands-on professionalism throughout every stage of manufacturing and installation of your balustrades. When looking for a comprehensive quote on custom built steel, glass and timber balustrades, our sales professionals will provide you with all the information you’ll need to make a fully inclusive and informed decision. Contact us for affordable and tailored balustrades for your commercial or residential property in South Africa.