What a great song that is -- Gates of Steel, I mean, by Devo. But the gates, or gate, of steel we're looking at above, however, is not a song. Although, with an estimated weight over two tons, it does qualify as heavy metal. And it most certainly wasn't made for a song. The people behind the design, and construction, Maca Studio Art Metals, describe themselves as a Vancouver, BC-based "bespoke designer and manufacturer of goods that are distinguished by the combination of aesthetic strength, function and quality craftsmanship" -- if you need to ask what any of that means, you can't afford what they make -- so look, but please do not touch.
This is coolest security gate I've ever seen. Whoever commissioned it is getting their money's worth. The very original conception of making the gate halves look like one shattered piece of metal, has been masterfully executed, using a special steel alloy called COR-TEN steel (often just Corten, without the hyphen), which is probably why I can see it. Maca has deliberately left it outside, because the Corten family of steel alloys are designed to rust -- the first layer of rust, which takes a few years to form, acts as a stable surface which protects the steel from any further corrosion -- which sounds like the initial oxidisation layer on aluminium, or like a coat of paint, only better. Corten is meant for very utilitarian construction, such as bridges, marine shipping containers, and outdoor sculptures. Increasingly architects are taking note of it's rusty "charm." The Endo Shuhei Architect Institute has designed a number of buildings employing Corten steel in their construction, notably the Looptecture Fukura Tsunami Disaster Preventive Control Centre, located in Minamiawaji-city, Hyogo prefecture, Japan.
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