Just a goal-kick away from Arsenal football club’s Emirates stadium in north London can be found the latest example of the importance of galvanized steel for 21st century architecture and the modern construction industry.

In the shadow of the huge new 60,000-seater stadium a brand new apartment block has been built, featuring a wide and attractive range of balconies, balustrades and other exterior steelwork, galvanized by South East Galvanizers Ltd.

The galvanizing work was carried out for Rawlsberry Fabrication Ltd of Epping Upland, Essex, who are specialists in architectural metalwork. It was the largest galvanizing contract to date to be completed for this customer.

The contract comprised 150 tonnes of architectural steelwork for the new 1- and 2-bedroom homes complex known as Drayton Park, which is adjacent to Arsenal’s Ashburton Grove site.

In total, more than 160 steel frames for balconies at the front and rear of the apartments, plus over 400m of roof balustrades, 800m of railings and 38 privacy screens have been galvanized at South East Galvanizers’ Witham plant.

The new apartments - and other residential developments nearby - are being built as a direct result of the regeneration programme in the area immediately surrounding the Emirates stadium.

In all, the sports stadium project has incorporated 2,500 new homes, of which at least 25% were required to be affordable housing, as well as a substantial number of key worker homes.

The Emirates stadium is something of a ‘home ground’ for South East Galvanizers Ltd as the company also galvanized pipe-work for the water drainage system on the football venue’s roof, before it opened in 2006.

Neil Pearson, Commercial Manager of South East Galvanizers Ltd said: “Steel balconies, balustrades and other features are a highly important part of modern residential developments, particularly in new apartment developments of this kind.

“Our customers Rawlsberry Fabrication Ltd are at the forefront of producing and supplying these items to the construction industry, and we’re very proud that this contract for the high-profile development at Drayton Park in London represents the largest single galvanizing job South East has completed for them.”