5 Fundamental Features to Consider When Choosing Commercial Balustrades
When it comes to building a commercial property, function and design are paramount when selecting features that you want to incorporate. Therefore, the process of choosing can’t be haphazard. It’s imperative that you are intentional while going through the motions about what exactly it is you require. When it comes to functionality such as balustrades, it can be tempting to take it for granted. A railing’s a railing, right? Wrong!
Choosing any old balustrade may cost you extra time and money down the track, and may compromise the safety of the people within your building. What you need to do is narrow it down to the key components before you decide what kind of balustrade you want to have installed.
1 – Safety is the Most Important Feature of Any Railing:
Remember that balustrades primarily function as a safety feature along your stairs and balconies. From a safety point of view, it is not enough for balustrades to look great if the design they boast doesn’t keep the people who use them protected. Make sure that the manufacturer makes accurate height, weight & positional calculations, so that your balustrades meet the required Australian standards.
Whatever the final design selected, this design will need to be forwarded to our Structural Engineer to do the site specific calculations and provide a FORM 15 (Design) and on Completion a FORM 16 (Inspection).
2 – Consider the Upkeep of the Balustrades System:
Functionality of your balustrade system goes beyond the overall safety and design. You also need to consider the upkeep when it comes to cleaning and maintenance of your railings. Choose something easy to manage so that it falls seamlessly into your maintenance schedule.
3 – Consider Different Types of Materials & Their Characteristics:
Balustrades can be constructed using various materials, ranging from glass to aluminium and Stainless Steel. Each material has ups and downs, so you’ll need to evaluate these before you decide on the final design. You can download our product catalogue which will take you through the pros and cons for each.
4 – Look at Durability in Relation to the Amount of Traffic:
It’s important to ensure that your balustrades are strong enough to stand the test of time. This requires careful consideration of how frequently they will be used. For example, if you have a busy commercial building with an area experiencing a lot of foot traffic, your final design will need to be graded accordingly. We can design a balustrade system for your commercial project to withstand the most robust needs.
5 – Ask if You Have the Option to Customise According to Your Preferences:
When you take a step back and consider your complete project needs, don’t forget to include personal style and branding. Look for something that embraces both elements. With the opportunity to custom design a system specific to your project, your final outcome can be one that you are proud to show off.
Every commercial building is unique and should be treated as such. The moment you break it down to the fundamentals, you gain a full understanding of what’s required to embrace a one-of-a-kind design and still meeting the Australian safety standards. If you’re looking for expert services in this regard, we’ve got you covered. Contact Aluminium Balustrades today.
Related tag: Commercial Aluminium Fabrication Gold Coast