Location: Henderson, Auckland

Client: Aspec Construction

Scope: External Balustrade, Internal and External Handrails, Steel Canopies, Steel Cross Plating

Metal Mart partnered with Aspec Construction on the metalwork package for the redevelopment of St Dominic's College, fabricating and installing the balustrade, handrail, and structural steel elements across the campus.

The centrepiece of the scope was around 175 metres of balustrade to the external stairs and walkways, fabricated from RHS posts and top rails with welded baseplates, all hot dip galvanised for lasting protection. Inside the building, we delivered close to 100 metres of further handrail around the stairs and lift core, wall mounted and post mounted, along with ramp handrails complete with kickrails to the relocated Q Block.

Every curved rail was custom formed to suit its exact run rather than pieced together from standard parts, so each bend flows smooth and continuous through the stairs. It is the kind of detail most people walk straight past, and that is exactly the point. Good metalwork does not draw attention to itself.

The package also included two 10 millimetre steel canopies to the south elevation, fabricated in sections and bolted together on site, and the steel cross plating across the face of the building, a defining feature of the college's frontage.

Projects like St Dominic's reflect what hot dip galvanised steel, careful fabrication, and proper installation deliver: metalwork built to quietly do its job for decades.