The balcony of the ABC Learning Centre in central Brisbane is the only external “open air” play area available at the centre. While the existing stainless steel and glass balustrade was built to regulation height and provided some security, use of the deck required constant supervision and harboured the inevitable danger of toys being thrown to the street below.
Faced with the restricted use of the area, ABC and Ashmore Constructions sought a secure method of enclosing the deck from the balustrade to ceiling, ensuring complete security without restricting the airflow or outdoor status of the recreational space. Raymond Design recognized the flexibility of the Carl Stahl X-TEND® tensile mesh for a retrofit application. Effectively a tensioned membrane, the Ø1.5mm grade 316 stainless steel cable mesh met all the requirements for a highly aesthetic and compliant barrier screen, providing complete security with minimal view impairment. The mesh, with its 60mm nominal opening, has sufficient strength to ensure that the screen would resist wind loads as well as the load of children or adults pushing and pulling at the security screen. The continuous stainless cable mesh barrier is fully load rated.
Ronstan Architectural engaged its own consultant to model the performance of the mesh and accurately determine the loads that the security mesh would impart on the supporting structure along each perimeter. 8mm ACS2 perimeter cables and custom brackets were carefully positioned to ensure the loads were transferred to the mating building structure. During the concept development phase, Ronstan provided design assistance to help co-ordinate the design details with the architect, structural engineer and builder. The head contractor utilised Ronstan Architectural’s full range of design and engineering services for this project in order to implement a turnkey solution to a once problem area. 35sqm of safety mesh was then installed in one piece by our installer, David Lambourne Rigging.
