Hollaender® Speed-Rail® Over Broadway


Hollaender recently supplied almost 1,000 linear feet of aluminum railing with infill panels for the roof of the Astor Court apartments at 89th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. This building, constructed in 1916, still had the original two-line handrail on the outside perimeter of the roof. With an increasing number of people gaining access to the roof, New York City's building code dictated the construction of a railing system with infill panels that prevent anything larger than 4 inches in diameter from passing through. A major challenge in this project was the lack of drawings, showing elevation changes, etc. Douglas Lister Architects felt that Hollaender's Speed-Rail component aluminum handrail system with wire mesh infill panels matched the aesthetics of the building and offered the lowest cost installed. In addition, due to the lack of drawings the decision was made to install the "framework" initially, then measure each bay for the specific dimensions of the infill panels required. Thus, framework, including posts and three rails, was installed in about six weeks, and the infill panels were retroactively installed about eight weeks later. The retroactive installation was simplified by the use of Speed-Rail #17EMO tab fittings that were installed "loose " at the time of initial installation, then used to attach the infill panels with bolts and acorn nuts.

Altogether, an interesting and challenging project, with a great view of the New York City skyline in the background.

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