A steel and bowstring truss bridge was built using structural rods and compression struts from Ronstan Tensile Architecture to connect both sides of the Great Hall at the Dangrove Art Storage facility in Alexandria, NSW.

Designed by Tzannes Architects, the Dangrove is a purpose-built storage facility created for Sydney-based philanthropist and art collector, Judith Neilson to house her private collection of contemporary Chinese art. Spread across an area of 10,000 square metres, the steel and concrete building also provides a grand room called the Great Hall to host events.

Linking both sides of the Great Hall is a steel and bowstring truss bridge built using ARS2 stainless steel rods and tension bars as well as ARS6 compression struts supplied by Ronstan to help realise the architect’s design vision of ‘clean lines and aesthetic excellence’.

Taylor, Thomson, Whitting (TTW), the project engineering company, commented, “Tension rods and compression struts are attached to a mild steel deck comprising back to back steel angles and steel universal column sections supporting brushed and etched stainless steel decking plates. Cantilevering off the deck is a frameless glass balustrade with bespoke stainless steel handrails.”

Ronstan was selected to supply the compression struts and tension bars not only for the high quality and high load rating of the products but also for their expertise. Ronstan assisted the fabricator by accommodating the demands of the engineers and tailoring the products to fit slightly offset cleats, which required rotating pin connections.

The resulting structure was the recent winner of the Australian Steel Institute Award for a large project.

Image © Ben Guthrie, The Guthrie Project