Metal Handrail Design

We spent the weekend with family near Boulder Colorado. Any trip to the Boulder area really requires a visit to Pearl Street Mall.
Pearl Street Mall is a four block pedestrian mall with many locally owned shops and restaurants. The mall was dedicated in August of 1977 and has seen many transformations since then.
The one thing we noticed was the many and various types of outdoor railing used at outdoor cafe spots. Most of the railing was metal, which makes sense given the sometimes wet and snowy Colorado climate. Metal is simple to install and looks nice against wood, brick or stone. Metal is also a good investment as it requires little upkeep and lasts a long time.
Incorporating a railing around an outdoor eating area belonging to a restaurant is often part of city code. There are usually requirements concerning furnishings, awnings, foliage as well as railing. A restaurant can be sure that their outdoor eating area must be directly adjacent to the building as well as allow for several feet for pedestrian access.
After considering these necessary building codes, an establishment should be concerned with how the railing blends in with it’s existing architecture and what kind of first impression it will make to potential customers passing by.
We found several good examples of metal guardrail at the Pearl Street Mall. One we found utilized stone pillars that connected radius aluminum tubing that was most likely curved using a large roller. The metal pickets were either cast, liquid metal poured into a mold, or forged, heated to the point of malleability and then pounded into shape for texture and detail. This design had a pleasing curve that allowed for a spacious feel on the cafe side of the metal railing.

Another of our favorite metal guardrails was this green rail. The designer started by anchoring the metal rail with large square tube posts. The bottom rail is two pieces of angle iron fitted with the baluster straps. The top rail is channel iron with a metal top cap painted black. Flat strap formed in diamond shapes is welded into an interesting design. The one and a quarter by three sixteenths strap has been punched for rivets at each intersection as well as having a notched out pattern.

One example of a corporate look is the highly functional and polished handrail at Old Chicago Restaurant. Old Chicago had by far the most outdoor seating area on the Pearl Street Mall. Their outdoor venue stretched around the corner and onto a back porch. The straight steel one by two inch top and mid-rail combined with one inch and a quarter square tube pickets combined for a clean contemporary guardrail. The contractors also incorporated a nice finishing touch by welding the “OC” boarder out of metal cast ring.