blog - lockergroup

Finding the right architectural products to blend with nature can be challenging.

August 25, 2017 by Cassandra

3 Locker Group products that blend industrial and green

Sydney Park marks one of the city's most visually distinctive open spaces, due to its post-industrial brick kilns towering over the north-western corner and recently revitalised wetland areas.

In 2014, the City of Sydney metropolitan council launched an ongoing park management strategy for the coming years which will redevelop the area. The council put communicating the cultural heritage of the area and increasing public amenities high on the agenda, with a specification towards architectural designs in keeping with the area's industrial history.

What better way to embrace the industrial history of the the Sydney Park area than with art installations and innovative architectural structures that blend visual appeal with a durable industrial edge? Locker Group have a range of architectural products that would suit.

Our range

Locker Group have a range of products that provide a striking architectural look, and have a history of use in integrating green spaces into an urban environment:

Perforated metal – one of our most popular products, perforated metal offers users an innovative architectural look. Perforations can be adapted to client specification, taking into account shape, size and profile. Their design allows for water run-off, which prevents rusting, and the sheets come in a variety of surface treatment options to ensure minimised natural wear-and-tear. Available in a variety of metal substrates, they add a rugged industrial edge to sun shading canopies or art installations.

Perforated metal allows ample light and airflow.

Hi Light louvres – these colourful products are ideal for sun shading, vital in a park space that will draw the public to stroll in the sunshine. With treatments available to reflect glare and prevent sun damage, Hi Light louvres are available in a range of bright and bold colours that truly make your space stand out. The aluminium grating is also perfect for screening private spaces and parking areas from view.
Expanded metal mesh – a truly multifunctional product, this metal mesh fabric is customisable to client needs and easily installable, instantly providing a distinct architectural look that also functional. The metal mesh can provide sun shading on hot days while still encouraging air flow. Additionally, creeper plants growing through the perforations perfectly blend the industrial with the natural, a visual best serving the history of Sydney Park.

Sydney Park can be the model of innovative architectural products meeting nature.

Sydney Park's rich heritage deserves distinctive architectural concepts that beautifies the park for public access and embraces the area's industrial past. Locker Group have a range of products to suit, blending visual appeal with industrial durability. If you have an architectural project with a similar specification, speak to our friendly team today and we can figure out what's best for you.

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The mining job boom means new workers will need the best products possible.

July 27, 2017 by Cassandra

How Locker Group’s range is kind to new mining workers

As activity and commodity prices continue to surge across the mining industry, so too has the availability in employment. The number of vacancies listed on job site Seek rose by 70 per cent in the three months from February 2017, according to a press release from the company, suggesting the approaching expansion of new mining operations across the country and the rapid induction of novice workers into the industry.

While these newer workers are learning the ropes, mining operations will struggle to maintain optimal productivity without compromising worker safety due to inexperience. Luckily, Locker Group's range of mining products are custom designed to meet industry standards, making your operations safer and more efficient.

New miners in the industry should be working with the best equipment possible.

Poly

Polyurethane screening comes in modular tiles for open cast or cross tensioned mats, as well as for fixing systems and trommel screen panels. Our poly products are precisely tailored to your specifications, with technicians analysing your screening process to assess the required aperture dimensions and the polyurethane mixture that will work to maximum efficiency and durability. Injection moulds are then used to ensure the consistent construction of each item.

This technology means that surface features can be incorporated into the tiles' design rather than attached later, giving a stronger product. These individual parts can be removed with ease, with like-for-like replacements manufactured to order.

Tufflex

Tufflex poly-coated screens are our latest innovation in screening. Made from incredibly durable polyurethane coated wire and synthetic rope, they are welded at every fifth crosspoint to provide industry-leading flexibility. The strands are also maneuverable during screening, to ensure consistent flow and to avoid pegging issues. Light and easy to remove, the screens aid in improving workplace health and safety compliance, and have formidable wear life if used correctly.

They are ideal in maintaining productivity, with their flexibility and abrasion-resistance essential in minimising equipment down time and maintenance. Now widely used in our poly screening range, Tufflex can be customisable to a variety of dimensions and aperture sizes to suit customer specifications.

Mining operations require products that can deliver durability and do the job.

Industry Accessories

Mining operations require hundreds of pieces of equipment, all with unique and important functions. From the largest piece of machinery to the smallest rubber capping, each item is needed for success. Locker Group manufacture a range of Extractive screening accessories to cover an operator's smallest problems, so that managers and workers can focus on the big things.

From capping rubber to poly spray nozzles, our range of durable and abrasion-resistant products will ensure your screening operations can work to full capacity without the need for constant replacement and renewal. These accessories are designed to specification, and can be made from a choice of materials to best suit the operation.

Mining operations will struggle to maintain productivity without compromising health and safety due to worker inexperience.

Going forward

More immediate employment opportunities in mining means an expansion in operations to match ambitious federal and state support. Over $75 billion was invested in mining in 2015-2016 according to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, showing a real desire to encourage new workers to continue to join. An expansion means new industry products are needed that are safe, functional and easy to operate, especially as they come into the hands of novice workers.

Locker Group has a storied reputation for bringing the best to the industry since 1956, and are still proud to work with operators and managers in delivering simple solutions to improve enterprise. Contact our team today for more information on our mining and quarrying products.

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Faulty construction products can be dangerous. Use Locker Group solutions instead!

July 13, 2017July 14, 2017 by Cassandra

Why cheap construction materials can be deadly

There is now an increasing tendency to forgo using quality construction products in order to save money and time. This may reflect well on a budget sheet, but the consequences can be deadly. Last month, the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in the U.K claimed the lives of dozens of people, with cheap, combustible building cladding the culprit.

Cutting corners also extends to Australia, with a series of spontaneously exploding glass balconies in Melbourne apartments highlighting the rising tide of cheap imported construction materials. In an effort to address this, the Australian Building Codes Board recently launch a new website to help people understand the building code and the importance of product safety, according to a Housing Industry Association release.

”A national webpage like this is important for everyone in the building product supply chain,” said HIA Chief Executive of Industry Policy Kristin Brookfield.

”It is vital, now more than ever, to take action and ensure that builders are not the only people responsible for checking product quality.”

It is important to ensure that builders are not the only people responsible for checking product quality.

At Locker Group, we create architectural solutions that are carefully designed, rigorously tested and meet stringent Australian safety and quality standards. The cost of using inferior products in your next construction project could prove calamitous, so have a look at why Locker Group products are the way to go.

Architectural

Locker Group’s architectural solutions have been widely used in installations and buildings nationwide, notably at the Float Art Project in Sydney and the La Trobe University Dining Hall in Melbourne. Our designs combine innovative visual appeal with unrivaled architectural functionality.

Our variety of metal facade sheets are ideal in making your building exterior striking while also providing screening from the sun and maintaining air flow. The internal facade options are custom designed and easily installable to enhance visual appeal while creating spaces you can re-design endlessly. All products are made from strengthened steel, copper and aluminum substrates, coupling beauty with brawn – and all are meticulously tested to meet Australian standards.

The effects of poor construction materials can be deadly.

Industrial

Working in heavy industry throws up the threat of numerous costly breakdowns and worker injuries as a result of substandard materials. Locker Group’s industrial range is one of the largest in Australia, with everything from grip-designed and durable metal flooring to robust conveyor belts and roof walkway kits for safety working at heights.

Our products, including the characteristic variety of metal sheets and wire meshes definitive of Locker Group, can be custom designed to user specifications and are able to resist the extreme temperatures of industry, meaning your production will be able for full efficiency in no time.

It is important to factor in the cost of replacing inferior building products later on.

Mining & Quarrying

Locker Group have been supporting Australian mines and quarrying for years with quality products that are rigorously tested to meet extreme conditions. Roaring heat, high pressure and constant abrasion are just some of the tests that construction products face here, so we have designed ours to be as strong as they are functional.

Our screen meshes and machine accessories are made from a variety of materials, including mild steel, rubber and other durable materials requiring minimal need for maintenance or cleaning. Failure to meet safety standards for equipment and products in mining and quarrying can be catastrophic and deadly, so make sure you use reputable products with a history of supporting the industry.

Using construction products that meet Australian standards will be less costly in the long run, after considering the time-consuming maintenance and repair of inferior construction products. Locker Group are industry-certified and Standards compliant, and have been since 1956. For more information on any of our construction solutions, or for assistance picking out the superior Australian-made product you need for your next project, contact the team.

Winter blues can lower work productivity. But architectural materials could have a solution.

July 11, 2017July 14, 2017 by Cassandra

How Locker Group’s architectural solutions can help winter blues

Winter has arrived, meaning the days are growing darker earlier and more people are feeling the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a widespread condition in which mentally-healthy people experience mild depressive symptoms over winter due to less daily sunlight, having some negative effect on workforce productivity and social interaction.

A July 2015 McCrindle survey of 1,000 people indicated 33 per cent felt under-motivated at their workplace during winter, while 27 per cent felt generally less productive. Many commercial buildings exacerbate this problem with closed-off office spaces and dark decor, ill-fitting to capture the natural sunlight needed to boost our mood during the dark winter months.

Locker Group are leaders in introducing innovative architecture materials to enhance the visual appeal of commercial buildings to suit any concept or conditions. Below, we explore how three of our architectural products can help banish those winter blues by adding more sunlight to your office space.

Woven Wire

Woven Wire can be used on building facades for a sun-streaming effect, allowing maximum sunlight exposure. It is built in a variety of durable metal substrates to resist harsh winter weather and wearing, and are customisable to exact client specifications.

Woven Wire can also be used internally for a delicate textural finish over light shades, lowering the harsh artificial glare of lights. This function is particularly important, as the increased use of artificial light to compensate for shorter daylight hours during winter contributes to SAD symptoms.

Woven Wire can also be used internally for a delicate textural finish over light shades.

Perforated Metal

One of our most popular and enduring items, Perforated Metal is typically used on building facades to add visual texture without sacrificing function – indeed, sporadic facade installations around a building result in little loss of warmth insulation, keeping your building warm and dry. It also contributes to encouraging natural sunlight flow through the metal sheet’s holes.

We are able to perforate a range of of materials, and would recommend darker-coloured metals like copper and brass, rather than cold grey and silver metals, to give your office visual warmth during winter months. These sheets can also be customised with an imprinted image in the perforation pattern, displaying a company’s logo or as an architecturally-integrated alternative to an art piece.

Perforated Metal helped Porsche achieve their distinct brand look, while keeping the building sunny.

Curtains

Locker Group’s Transit Curtains are the ideal solution for office spaces that you want to customise and re-shape easily. These wire mesh screens are widely used in modern commercial and retail spaces for their ability to allow light and airflow through seamlessly while still maintaining privacy between separate areas.

Attach the Curtains to tracks to effortlessly change the layout of your office whenever you want, or drape them from the ceiling to cover unsightly appliances – they have endless potential for a chic way of increasing natural light and breaking down stern dividing walls in office spaces. This is particularly helpful in addressing lowered levels of collaboration with work colleagues in winter months, a problem highlighted by 28 per cent of polled Australians in the McCrindle study.

Transit Curtains are used in retail to maintain lots of natural light and airflow.

Our range of architectural building solutions are built towards creating visually stunning and innovative spaces, designed to get the most from your environment. In the cold winter months, social isolation and depression in the workforce is going untreated, with dull commercial spaces dividing colleagues from one another and leaving them with little exposure to natural sunlight. Contact our friendly team today so we can shed a little light on how our simple architectural solutions could brighten up your winter blues.

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