Structurally sound

Structural steel fabrication and detailing for the Millennium Arts Project was provided by Regson Fabrication and JBD Steel Detailing, who teamed up to interpret the structural steel consultant's drawings.

Together the two companies provided the steel for a variety of structures throughout the project. These included the glass lift door frames, the roof structure over the arrivals area and the glass lifts, the setdown canopy to the arrivals areas and the adjacent walkway structure and membrane support frame. They also worked on the new Queensland Art Gallery entry glass skylight pyramid frame structure and the steel support structure to the two timber decks on the river side of the complex, as well as automatic door support frames, air plenums and cinema walls.

Les McMillan of Regson Fabrication says time, site access and paint finishes were key issues in this project.

"As the elements to be fabricated were large and the paint finish was an international three-coat system, the steelwork had to be handled very carefully to avoid damage during installation. The arrivals area is naturally the first view of the building for most visitors, therefore we had to avoid the need for any unsightly touch-ups," says McMillan.

"The detailing had to be done quickly and accurately, on an on-call and on-site basis, so much of the final design and detailing were carried out concurrently. This required high levels of co-ordination and co-operation between all parties," he adds.

For more information on the fabrication, contact Regson Fabrication, PO Box 383, Palmwoods, QLD 4555, phone (07) 5476 8755, fax (07) 5445 6038. Email: regp@bigpond.com.au. For information on the detailing, contact JBD Steel Detailing, PO Box 209, Palmwoods, QLD 4555, phone (07) 5456 1211. Email: joe@bigdesign.com.au.

Story by: Trendsideas