A Review of Stainless Steel Usage for Architecture in India

Abstract

The initiative to introduce stainless steel for architectural use was taken by Salem Steel Plant, Steel Authority of4ndia in the mid-1980s. The first instance was the stainless steel cladding of six-meter tall columns at the entrance of the prestigious Madras Metropolitan Development Authority in the city of Madras (as Chennai was known then) and some modest amount of stainless steel handrails there. This was executed in 1987 with improvised techniques, trials and elimination of errors, a lot of care, plenty of labour and huge cost to Salem Steel Plant. Fifteen years on, these columns look as good as new. The foundation for the use of stainless steel in architecture was laid.