Succulent Steel

A 16 metre long sculpture in Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens is helping to promote steel recycling. The sculpture, created by Australian television personality Jamie Durie and sponsored by BlueScope Steel and the Steel Can Recycling Council, hosts the botanical gardens' succulents display.

The equivalent of 500,000 recycled steel cans went into production of the steel for the sculpture which consists of garden beds created from curved sheets of AS/NZS 3678 - WR350 XLERPLATE® steel.

The weathered effect demonstrated on the sculpture is achieved by special alloying elements which react with the air to form a dense tight oxide film to protect the steel from corrosion.

BlueScope Steel New South Wales Account Manager Alan Church, says "These steels are used unpainted to take architectural advantage of their structural and aesthetic qualities."

"Weathering steel is compatible with the environment. It complements its natural surroundings and is a durable and cost-effective construction material. The appearance, texture and maturity of the weathered steel's patina depend upon three primary natural factors - time, the degree of exposure and atmospheric environment.

"With time, the oxide coating changes from a rusty red-orange to a dark purple-brown. Atmospheric environment impacts on oxide development. Frequent wet-dry cycles, rain, wind and sun - promote the weathering process."

Adds Jamie Durie: "It's an astounding steel.. you can get fantastic results. Centrepoint Tower in Sydney was also built with this steel. This demonstrates the steel's strength."

Weathering steels are used for applications including bridges, buildings, process equipment, shipping containers, as well as architectural applications such as Jamie Durie's sculpture.

He describes the garden as timeless in design. "The chosen materials will represent architecture in its best fashion for the longest period of time," he says.

"It is the pinnacle of my sculptural design. I've put my heart and soul into it. I wanted to use a product that was recyclable or recycled. Steel is 100% recyclable. Packaging products made from steel, such as canned foods, aerosol cans, oil or paint cans, even pet food cans, are among the most recyclable products in the world.

"Currently we recycle 43% of all steel packaging. However each year Australians throw away enough steel packaging to make five Sydney Harbour Bridges, so we really need to do more. By choosing to build with steel I made an ecologically sound choice for future generations. We can all do our bit towards a sustainable future."