Steel Warriors
Turning knives into outdoor gyms. HTS worked with charity Steel Warriors, founded by Ben Wintour and Pia Fontes, to create an outdoor calisthenics gym on a pro bono basis using steel from knives confiscated by London Metropolitan Police.
Key features
Recycling two tonnes of steel
HTS designed and delivered the gym within a year using two tonnes of steel from knives confiscated over two months.
Sustainable materials
50% of the gym contains recycled knife steel composite, making up a ¼ of the materials overall.
Developing new steel recycling techniques
HTS developed a way of using recycled steel of varying grades for the first time, with all knives graded and sorted into groups before being combined with CD4MCu Duplex stainless steel.
Developing through research
The composite mix was tailor-made for this batch of recycled knives, but the research will be used as a template when rolling out further gyms of this kind.
“The Steel Warriors gym raises awareness of knife crime whilst providing a safe, positive community space and an outlet for young people, helping to take knives off the streets and drive home the message that carrying one is more likely to ruin your life than save it.”
Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
