MONTREAL BOTANICAL GARDENS PERIMETER FENCE

Best known as the Montreal Botanical Garden, the Space For Life complex is most important natural science complex in Canada.  It includes a Biodome, an Insectarium, a Planetarium and of course the Botanical Gardens themselves.  While being a showcase for our natural world it is also in the center of a bustling city of 3.5 million inhabitants so the original 1930s fencing that directly borders two of the citys busiest roads had long ago deteriorated beyond repair despite endless repairs and countless repaintings.

"Again local history helped guide the way; in the 1960s, the galvanizer [Corbec] did a project of duplex coated street lights in a borough of Montreal, the very first in Canada.  Still in service over 50 years later and free of corrosion those light poles speak more convincingly than any marketing presentation could ever hope to."

Apart from the regular urban corrosion challenges the far northern climate of Montreal results in heavy use of deicing chemicals which often bury the fence in salt laden snow banks and expose it to salt spray from passing buses and heavy traffic for many months per year.

The long and very successful history of hot-dip galvanizing for the city of Montreal was an obvious factor in the decision to use galvanized steel but the architectural desire to mimic the original fence called for a duplex system of black paint over galvanized steel.  Again local history helped guide the way; in the 1960s, the galvanizer did a project of duplex coated street lights in a borough of Montreal, the very first in Canada.  Still in service over 50 years later and free of corrosion those light poles speak more convincingly than any marketing presentation could ever hope to.

So now this second fence for the Botanical Gardens should provide nearly maintenance free service for many decades with the monies previously lost to endless fence painting and rust repair now better spent in the gardens themselves for the enjoyment and education of the millions of visitors to come.

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