The mission was to create a safety railing for an elevated viewing area so that all of the doting parents (like me) could watch and fawn over their precious kids practicing gymnastics. One of the goals was to maximize visibility…what good is a railing in a viewing area if you can’t see enough? Another goal was to meet code and provide safety, of course. Another was to work cheap, be/c there was no budget.
Here’s what we ended up with…
Used glass with posts of oak/metal. The oak was donated by a local wholesaler. The 1/2″ tempered glass came at cost, and we’re selling sponsorships to cover that. I did the design for free and got my regular engineer to review the drawings for free. The support for the glass is 1 1/2″ x 5′ steel angle that’s faced in 13/16 oak. It’s lagged into the floor framing (the floor was built by the prior tenant and was built properly–level, plumb, solid–which was a big help). I kept the posts low to open the view, and could have gone lower, except that we’re dealing with people’s perceptions that glass is weak, and I don’t wanna make them tooooooo nervous.
I got all kinds of crap when we were planning this–“glass? are you crazy” “why not just use chain link?” “what happens if a chair falls against the glass?” “just put up a wood railing instead”–but now that it’s up, everyone loves it and can’t imagine having to look through balusters, chain link, or even a railing.
Replies
and on the plus side ...
the scary-glass might help keep the parent peanut gallery from getting too close to the edge and distracting the kids!
Looks nice.
Jeff
That is one of the side benefits of glass. But from the fingerprints, doesn't seem to apply in this case.
On the plus side, at the first meet yesterday, everyone was ecstatic at how easy it was to view the whole competition. They recognized and acknowledged that any more traditional railing would have obstructed views no matter where one sat. That was a nice payoff.
so the etching of yer biz cards was too much to add in?
Jeff
Did get an advertising banner out of it...see it in bkg in first picture. We got some gymnastics clip art and are papering the gym with them through sponsorships. I got prime location, and believe it or not, already have had contact with someone looking for exactly what I design! And after also doing some framing and sheetrock there, also had some remodeling offers. But that seems too much like work, dontcha know, so I'll stick with what I do now.
Still can't believe people seriously wanted chain link fencing for awhile there...
Edited 10/11/2004 11:13 pm ET by Cloud Hidden
Well..........
How did the meet go?
Meili and I were just spectators. She does spring competitions at the moment. I know the Level 4 team did well. L5 and L6 seemed inconsistent. We only stayed for half...went to provide moral support and to see how our construction held up to the crowds. That part went well.
If I remember correctly, Meili is on an optional track?
Glad to hear the L4s did well. It is early in the season, a few more meets and the 5/6s will be consistant.
First meet or first home meet?
Yeah, she's optional this year. She knows too many high-level skills to just do level 4, but she's too short to handle the vault table yet, and so couldn't do L5. Probably next fall for that.
For some it was the first meet. For some, the third.
Nice job Cloud...............I like it and I'm not a big fan for glass railings. Indoors is much better than outdoors where it gets fogged up and dirty.
Thanks for posting...........
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Bob