Cultural icons

INNOVATION IS something every new building aspires to. Be it through cutting-edge design or facilities, architects and developers are continually challenging the established norms.

The Millennium Arts Project is no different. With a strong emphasis on reducing the buildings' environmental impact, the project incorporates a number of pioneering systems.

"We were approached by Bovis Lend Lease to manufacture floor grates for ventilation of the ducted air conditioning system in the gallery," says ACO Polycrete technical services manager John Sordo.

As part of a global company with 60 years of industry experience, ACO Polycrete has a reputation for continual innovation in the drainage sector, making the company the obvious choice to adapt their number-one-selling grating system to accommodate air conditioning ventilation.

"There were a number of exigencies that needed to be addressed before we felt the product would be suitable for use in its new application. The grates were required to meet the slip resistance requirements of the various floor finishes within the galleries. They needed to meet a 5kN load rating in line with the structural floor slab, as well as being heelproof to prevent the penetration of stiletto heels, while allowing enough of an air flow into the gallery areas," says Sordo.

To meet the load rating requirements and expected point load of the mechanical lifting equipment used by the gallery, the company re-engineered the grating to provide greater reinforcement, especially in the wider sections of grating.

Manufactured from stainless steel, and in widths up to 700mm, the more than 500 lineal metres of grating complement the overall industrial aesthetic of the gallery space, with its honed concrete floors and straight lines, says Sordo.

For more information, contact ACO Polycrete, 134-140 Old Bathurst Rd, Emu Plains, NSW 2750, phone (02) 4740 4000, fax (02) 4747 4060.

Story by: Trendsideas