New Balustrades for Old - March 2006
Nicholson Street, Balmain
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This eight storey building, constructed in the early 70’s, originally had concrete filled masonry balustrades that over time had succumbed to corrosion of the reinforcement. Unfortunately they were beyond repair and probably had the effect of dating the building anyway.
Realising this, the OWNERS CORPORATION took the decision to completely replace them with a design that is up to the minute and has the effect of lifting the entire building, all of which enhances their investment.
After discussions with the Architect, GDM DESIGN, it was decided to go with a glass, aluminium and stainless steel combination, not only for the aesthetics but for longevity given the close proximity of the building to the harbour and its harmful salt spray.
MADE won the right to do the work and commenced in April 2005. Eight months later an almost completely different building was gracing the Balmain peninsular.
MADE utilised a series of “High Climbers” to firstly safely demolish the existing balustrades, then to repair the balcony slabs where the reinforcement had been cut out and then install the new assemblies. These “High Climbers” also had the effect of allowing the Owners more space in the car park to manoeuvre and park their cars, far more than would have been the case with scaffold.
In addition, a matching aluminium parapet was installed to the roof level masonry wall, encapsulating it so that any degeneration of this element will be arrested and nullified.
At the same time the Owners had the foresight to paint the building and to attend to any corroding reinforcement to the exposed slab edges. Given the proximity of the building to the harbour, this was a wise move and will have to be a requirement each and every time the building is refurbished. The painting contract was the responsibility of DUKES PAINTING and was all performed off swinging stages hung from the roof level.
With help from the weather the Project suffered few delays, and thanks to the use of the ‘High Climbers’ even when things became windy at the very top.
MADE’S team on site rose to the occasion, always being mindful of the needs, access and convenience of the Owners and always willing to go that extra yard to achieve a good result. For that reason there were few defects and these were not considered to be significant in terms of number or scope. There were also very few variations.
This was an excellent team effort by all including MADE CONTRACTING, the OWNERS CORPORATION and their on site team and the Strata Manager, INSITE.
Well done and thanks to all involved.