Ok, I know it sounds crazy, but it is true in many ways.
Cast Iron was a key technological step in our engineering past. For the first time ever it enabled people to build big, offering strength and flexibility never before seen. It was a key material in the development of steam transport and mechanised industrial developments.
On the face of it, cast iron is now old fashioned and dated, only found in old buildings and Victorian Parks and Urban Spaces.
This, however, is not totally true. Nowadays, cast iron is made from recycled materials and is 100% recyclable. Added to this, Cast Iron does not rust in the same way as steel. The oxidisation of cast iron is very very slow and can take 10's and even 100's of years to loose just a few millimetres. If the cast iron is painted and looked after then this is even slower.
At ASF, street furniture is manufactured in many materials but we are especially keen on cast iron. We have our own on site foundry and pattern shop. This allows us to make traditional street furniture and modern bespoke street furniture in cast iron. When we make, for example, a cast iron bollard, we fully expect it this recycled product to last up to 100 years, maybe even more.
For sustainability, envoironmental inmpact, responsibility and style, cast iron is again a cutting edge material.
