A client recently asked us to design a privacy screen for one side of their patio that faces a street with fairly high traffic. They wanted something that would not completely block their view or natural light and also be very low maintenance. Being avid art collectors, they also wanted something that would not only have a function, but also have the aesthetic qualities one might associate with an outdoor sculpture. This is the powder coated steel privacy screen we designed and fabricated for them.
Fabricating this piece was somewhat reminiscent of our "Barnacles" sculpture we did a few years back, only on a much smaller scale. Believe it or not, these are all the pieces of the screen/sculpture stacked on my welding tables. The square tube will be welded into six separate frames that will eventually be bolted together on site and anchored to the clients patio. Then approximately 400 square and rectangular 14ga. sheet metal pieces will be attached to these frames.
Before welding, all the square tube pieces were laid out on a full size template to make sure that all the pieces were cut to the proper length, had the correct bevel cuts where needed, and that all the holes were drilled in the correct positions.
We than began welding the pieces into small sections and then welding the smaller sections together until the frame was complete.
After completing the frames we began welding threaded studs to the sheet metal pieces.
After the threaded stud was welded to the piece, a threaded stand-off was attached.
The finished sheet metal pieces boxed up and ready to go to the powder coater.
The first day of the install consisted of installing the six frames that comprised the screen.
It took a couple more days to attach the sheet metal pieces and clean my fingerprints off them. The finger prints are actually anti-seize lubricant that I was using during the install.
The finished piece.
