As our first big aluminum railings project outside of our geographical area, we were excited to make a good impression on the folks at the University of Washington. There was just one problem: the project site was ready to open, but new railings were needed to replace the substandard railings the original fabricator had provided.

Conditions:

• The project site was over an active street, so surveying and installation work could only be performed in prescheduled shutdown windows.
• The end user required a 20 year warranty on the paint.
• The railings needed to be engineered to be both strong and lightweight to meet code requirements.
• Project specification required certified welding.
• Rails need to be built to follow both the pitch and the curve of the site.
• The site was located out of state 1500 miles away.

Solutions:

• We modeled our customers design concept and worked with an engineer to guarantee it met the projects code requirements.
• We obtained a sight survey that used electronic instruments to log digital data points that were uploaded into our modeling software. Using this model with real life data points, we were able to design the railing system to fit the site perfectly. Our customer was able to view our 3-D model in advanced, and approve the design before fabrication began.
• We provided workmanship standard samples, as well as certified welding documentation to give the customer peace of mind that the railings would meet there specifications.
• We worked with an (aluminum) extruder to provide custom size and shape extrusions to fit the design requirements and stay within budget.
• We developed a streamlined robust production process to provide a quick turnaround and consistent quality.
• We fabricated the rails in batches to meet a predetermined installation schedule.
• We contracted a painter with a 20 year warranty paint system to paint the railings.
• We had a dedicated project manager overseeing the project, who was able to respond promptly to any of the customers question.

This aluminum picket-style railing consisted of approximately 2300 linear feet of railing in various heights up to 6 feet and a budget well over a half million dollars. After careful planning and efficient production time it took about six months from the first drawings to railway delivery. Astro took care of engineering and field verfication while meeting demanding schedules and coordinating with highway shutdowns. Despite these obstacles, we were able to produce quality aluminum railings in a timely manner .

Customer Feedback

“I wanted to take time out from my schedule to express my appreciation for the wonderful job Astro did for on the University of Washington Montlake project. ISEC has had the distinct pleasure of working with this thoroughly professional company, who cared about their work on this fast paced project; the attention to detail, professional approach to problem solving and positive attitude made the process seamless. ISEC looks forward to working with Astro again in the very near future on any projects that require superior metals work.” – Jesse Maddox, Project Manager, ISEC