Siemens Warehouse
One of many new construction projects in Western Australia resulting from the past mining boom.
The Project
In 2013, the multi-disciplined provider, Siemens won a contract to supply the Roy Hill Iron Ore mine, and in 2015, made the decision to set up a service centre in Perth, WA.
A typical commercial warehouse includes steelwork for the columns, roof trusses, and bracing. Being a critical component of the buildings’ structural framework, the steel items needed to be protected from the elements.
For example, the $6m Siemens building contained around 120T of Structural Steel, which was painted in a single coat, Inorganic Zinc system, over a class 2.5 blast.
Coating Tips for Commercial Structural Steelwork
Over the past 50 years, Ferro-Clean has processed many similar projects to Siemens. Here are some useful tips;
- The most commonly used primer suitable for indoor steelwork is Grey/Red Oxide Zinc Phosphate (ROZP).
- Greater protection comes with Inorganic Zinc Silicate (IZS), which can provide an equivalent but more cost effective corrosion control than hot dip galvanising.
- Two-coat systems allow choices of gloss and colours, i.e. an epoxy primer, then a polyurethane topcoat.
- Three-coat systems are designed for highly corrosive environments, such as chemical or fertilizer plants.
The Future for Western Australian Construction
Undoubtedly, the mining boom is over and the future of construction in W.A. lies in commercial buildings and infrastructure as major companies set up in Perth to service the ongoing maintenance in Mining and Oil & Gas.
Looking ahead to 2016, there are already 300 commercial building projects approved for construction, totaling over $1.9bn investment, which is encouraging news!
In a tough market it is critical to provide faultless service and to partner with reliable suppliers and contractors in order to deliver on time, and to the client’s expectations.
