Material selection for handrails: A specifier’s guide
Partner content: The design and construction of handrails and balustrades is a crucial issue that may expose a practitioner to expensive litigation if poorly thought out or executed — especially if failure occurs. Naturally, it is important to choose a material that complements your design goals. The selected material must be functional rather than merely decorative, perform in accordance with safety requirements, and live up to all expectations in terms of appearance and durability.
Material Selection for Handrails and Balustrades: A Specifier’s Guide discusses all the factors you need to consider when selecting materials for handrails and balustrades.
Moddex has had the opportunity to work within diverse industry sectors, collaborating with clients across different industry spaces such as three-waters, education, multi-level commercial construction, road, and rail, where they have tailored unique solutions for different applications and environments.
Their newly-released specifier’s guide covers the importance of assessing site conditions and identifying materials that can withstand corrosive environments as well as the range of design considerations relevant to selecting materials for handrails and balustrades, including the intended use, fixings and connectors, structural properties, details and finishing, and aesthetics and finally, they include a comparison of the common handrail and balustrade materials with respective pros and cons — an important quality consideration.
Matching material to site conditions:
The raw materials used to create handrails and balustrades must provide a suitable level of durability based on the proposed location of the works. If timber is preferred, only specific species in durability class 1 or 2 are suitable for exterior works. If metal is being considered, the material should have an appropriate finish and be provided with a protection level class that is appropriate for the proposed location. Options include zinc coatings, stainless steel, aluminium or applied paint finishes.
Corrosive environments, such as buildings in coastal regions, environments where moisture is present, industrial zones and high-pollution areas, require special consideration. Challenging atmospheric conditions, including extreme temperatures, constant precipitation and the presence of chlorine, also fall within this category. To protect your investment and ensure its long life, choosing materials that have been proven to withstand corrosive elements, such as hot dip galvanised steel, marine-grade aluminium or 316-grade stainless steel is essential.
Working with a trusted supplier:
Moddex is New Zealand and Australia’s leading manufacturer of innovative handrail and balustrade systems. Pre-engineered for structural integrity, their proprietary systems are load tested and configured to Australian and New Zealand Standards (AS/NZS), Workplace Health and Safety guidelines (WHS/OSH), Australia’s National Construction Code (NCC/BCA) and the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC).
To help your project stay in compliance and meet standards, Moddex has put together a specifier’s guide on material selection for handrails and balustrades, which discusses all the factors you need to consider when selecting materials for handrails and balustrades.
This content has been created with support from Moddex.
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