The brief
A developer planning a three-block commercial office park directly on Chennai's East Coast Road came to us with a specific worry: they'd seen other coastal buildings in the area develop visible corrosion on exposed steel within a few years of completion. They wanted the building specified correctly from day one, not repaired later.
The challenge
Standard mild-steel fixings and untreated structural sections degrade quickly under constant salt-laden air — rust streaks on facades, weakened roof fixings, and shortened service life on anything exposed to the elements. Retrofitting corrosion protection after the fact is expensive and never as effective as specifying it correctly at the outset.
Our approach
We specified corrosion-resistant structural steel grades and marine-rated fasteners across every exposed connection, not just the visible facade. Roofing and cladding systems were selected specifically for coastal-rated performance, and detailing at joints and penetrations — the points where corrosion typically starts — was reviewed line by line before fabrication began.
Scope of work
- Corrosion-resistant structural steel and fixings throughout
- Salt-air-rated roofing and cladding systems
- Basement parking and civil works across three blocks
- Landscaped courtyards and pedestrian walkways
The result
The finished park carries a 10-year corrosion warranty on all exposed steelwork — a commitment we were only able to make because the material choices were right from the start, not patched in afterward. Two years in, the facade shows no early corrosion signs typical of standard-spec coastal buildings.
