Fabrication Spotlight: Window Guards

Early last summer, Ferrier Wire was asked to propose a new window guard solution for portables by a local school board. The GTA school board was in the process of renovating and upgrading portables, and were looking for a way to refresh the unsightly old wire mesh window guards that are typical of your classic school portable in Ontario. The usual rectangular weavemesh crimped onto a round rod frame with either welded tabs of clenched tabs for mounting were painted silver.

While the style has definitely served its purpose, they are unsightly by contemporary design standards. A prison or jail-type feel can be attributed to the fixture based off first impression alone. They also require a greater deal of maintenance as they are more prone to rust, which has been known to bleed onto the sills and the exterior walls of the structure.

Ferrier Wire designed a more functional and aesthetically-pleasing solution utilizing a combination of aluminum angle iron and flat bar perimeter frame along with flat bar cross/support bars.

Designed and manufactured entirely in Southern Ontario at our facility, we incorporated a more attractive stainless steel weavemesh, that was woven and powder coated matte black. The decision to opt for a matte black finish allowed the fixture to seamlessly blend into the black exterior of the portables – making for a more cohesive design overall.

The screens were assembled using automotive-grade rivets made from stainless steel and aluminum. The guards were mounted on the exterior of the portable through predrilled holes in the frames – contributing to a more unified, cleaner look in comparison to the old style tabs that protruded out beyond the edge of the round rod frame. The main objective was to create a more attractive window guard that is durable, and would require far less maintenance.

Please contact us if you have any questions about this project or any other of our products.