[vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]Building codes for balconies differ across the world due to various opinions and the geographic and demographic differences of the population. Some of the factors driving the minimum balustrade guarding heights include the average height of the population, geographical location, and the type of building.
Keeping the following factors in mind, local governing bodies set the minimum balcony balustrade guarding heights for the country. Now let’s look at the differences in the requirements across several countries in the world.
How much do balcony requirements across different countries differ?
Balustrade Height Requirements in the United Kingdom
According to the building standards in the UK, listed in Part K of BS6180 and BS8579, a balustrade should be at least 1100 mm high. Additionally, it also states that a 100 mm sphere should not be able to pass through the balustrade, and it should not be easy to climb.
Balustrade Height Requirements in New Zealand
According to Clause F4 of the Building Code in New Zealand, the barriers of balconies and decks of detached dwellings and of those within household units of multi-unit dwellings must have a minimum height of 1000 mm. The height of the balcony barrier is measured vertically from the finished floor level. They should be durable and provide safety from falling.
Balustrade Height Requirements in Canada
Based Parts 3 and 9 of the National Building Code in Canada, guards are required for balconies and decks that are 24 inches (60 cm) above grade. The minimum height of a balustrade in such cases has to be 1070 mm or 42 inches for commercial buildings and 900 mm or 36 inches for residential buildings. The guards should not have an opening greater than 100 mm or 3 7/8 inches.
Balustrade Height Requirements in Europe
A balustrade in Europe needs to comply with the third part of the EN ISO 14122. According to the European standards, a balustrade needs to have a minimum height of 1.10 m and the distance between adjacent railings should not exceed 1.50 m. Additionally, to prevent someone from slipping under the handrail, the distance between horizontal elements cannot exceed 500 mm.
Balustrade Height Requirements in Ireland
Balcony guards in Ireland need to be built in compliance with Clause K of the IS EN 1991-1-1. These state that balconies need to be designed to protect the user from the risk of falling. Having well-fortified guards is crucial to the safety of the user. Balcony guards must be sturdy and must be on every side of the balcony. They should discourage young children from climbing and they should not have any element that might provide a foothold, like horizontal rails.
The top surface of the handrail should be at a height of between 900 mm and 1000 mm when measured vertically. A sphere of diameter 100 mm should not be able to pass through any openings in the guarding.
Balustrade Height Requirements in Australia
As stated in part 3.9.2 of the Building Code of Australia (BCA), the minimum height for balustrades or other barriers is 865 mm above the floor landing. Additionally, the handrails must not have any kind of climbable elements between 150 mm and 760 mm off the floor. Horizontal balustrades are not allowed on balconies. Vertical balustrades should not have any kind of foothold, to ensure they are not easily climbable.
General Recommendations for Designing Balcony Balustrades
For those designing balcony balustrades, we recommend that you design the balustrades to be at least a little bit higher than the mandatory height requirements in the country. For those designing balconies for the top floors of high-rise buildings, you need to take into consideration the exposure to wind at height. In such cases, balustrades of height 1500 mm make it more comfortable for the inhabitants.[/sapphire_textBlock][sapphire_imageBlock image=”8520″ notch=”” height=””][/sapphire_imageBlock][sapphire_imageBlock image=”8372″ notch=”” height=””][/sapphire_imageBlock][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_contentLink order=”Image left / content right” image=”470″ heading=”Balcony Drainage” button_text=”Learn more” button_link=”url:/our-product/frame-deck-soffits/soffits/balcony-drainage|target:_blank”]
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