Words by Michelle Heslop. Photos by Jacob McNeil, Ema Peter, and Jody Beck.
Redefining the image of the unrefined metal shop, Broadwell Metal is in its fifth year of bringing fine finishing architectural metalwork to architects and builders, one high-end project at a time. We sat down with Adam Ruddell, co-founder of Broadwell Metal, to find out how their company is transforming the metal industry with their collaborative approach to creating bespoke architectural metal structures with impressive visual impact.
After working in the metal industry in both Vancouver and Victoria, he and Kyle Taylor, quickly became the go-to metal fabricators for some of the best architects and builders in British Columbia. From simple handrails to highly complex fireplace surrounds or custom structural steel for a home, their projects are valued for their strength, durability and fine craftsmanship. And by fine craftsmanship, we mean artisan metal work that borders on functional artwork (examples seen here).
A fully equipped shop with modern CNC plasma cutting equipment as well as a large capacity press brake and state of the art welders, Broadwell Metal has shown the industry that they can achieve the same level of detail and quality with metalwork as you would with fine finishing carpentry. “Metal is in demand for both commercial and residential projects because of its strength, heat resistance and versatility in creating unique finishes on stairs, canopies, fireplace surrounds, exterior guardrails, cladding, landscape metalwork and bespoke interior metal work such as fireplace surrounds, credenzas, stainless steel countertops, furniture, and custom adornments to suit an artistic vision,” states Ruddell.
Metal has a comparatively higher level of strength than wood and provides a solid stability to architectural designs while giving your property a visually striking look. One of their latest projects, with Scott and Scott Architects in Vancouver, is a fireplace wall panel that’s both functional and aesthetically pleasing with a modern blackened galvanized seawall detail at the front of the property.
“I think architects and builders are starting to recognize the capabilities in metal fabrication and the demand is growing at an increasing rate,” says Ruddell, who adds that the clean lines of their work complements the modern aesthetic of west coast architecture. Not to mention, metal’s inherent strength is an asset in our damp coastal climate. A recent custom home build, set a few feet from the water’s edge on Cadboro Bay, required the most applications and variety of finishes Broadwell Metal has done in one home. It involved creating a large raw corten-steel window box, a 14-foot stainless-steel kitchen island, a finely crafted handrail, seamless blackened steel fireplace surround and a custom light fixture over the island.
One application that these metal fabricators couldn’t have predicted is crafting sleek chimney caps that fit with a modern facade. “Building code now requires specific vents on new homes and previously these have been pretty ugly structures sticking out of roofs so now we can make them look aesthetically pleasing and built to last a lifetime,” says Ruddell.
Broadwell has recently taken over the neighbouring unit to accommodate their expansion and the increasing demand for their work. With evolution at the centre of their business ethos, they continue to add new equipment to expand their offerings through new processes and techniques. Striving to push the architectural metal trade further into the future, Ruddell and Taylor’s work will always pay homage to the ancient practices that forged the way for more refined, modern metal fabrication.
