Tag: design

Why Would a Prefabricated Balcony Benefit My Development?

Posted on by Sajjad B

[vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]For years, balcony construction has been a last-minute addition to an otherwise well-considered building. Adding on concrete slabs takes significant time, can be cumbersome in terms of waterproofing and drainage, and can be costly.

Prefabricated balconies change all of this.

By using a prefabricated solution, you could save time and cost, all the while making your development lighter, faster, safer, kinder and with more possibilities than ever.

In this article, we’ll be talking through modular construction and prefabrication, how to integrate cross-laminated timber with your development and some design considerations when using a prefabricated balcony solution.

Why Should I Use Prefabrication or Modular Construction?

Prefabrication and modular construction are innovative approaches that could benefit your development.

Reducing your time on site by not needing to manufacture balconies in-situ can be a time and cost-effective way to manage balconies on your development. Delivering fully assembled units means not only a decrease in cost, but also a reduction in risk.

Pre-finishing as much as possible in the factory reduces the requirement for secure storage on site – a further benefit particularly ideal for projects in city centres like Toronto, Vancouver or New York where site space can often be extremely limited.

On-site health and safety issues, such as the risk of errors and potentially costly project delays due to bad weather, can be reduced with a prefabricated solution.

Finally, this increase in quality stretches out to quality assurance too – prefabricating balconies in factory conditions ensures a high degree of quality control which is almost impossible to achieve on site.

Integration of CLT in Construction

Cross-laminated timber (CLT), or Mass Timber, is created by glueing together layers of solid-sawn lumber from a single log. By glueing together layers of wood at the right angles, CLT can achieve better structural rigidity than regular timber in both vertical and horizontal directions.

The benefits of CLT are numerous. CLT offers a prefabricated material that is incredibly flexible for building design – including CLT in a building’s design from an early stage is beneficial as it can result in shorter installation times therefore reducing the cost of labour on-site if planned well. Furthermore, the fire performance of CLT is very good, as it is fire-rated and compliant for ongoing use. Whilst concrete is the conventional option due to the perceived rigidity of the product, some companies suggest that CLT can be favourable over concrete as it is 20-30% faster to install, so can reduce labour on-site.

Design Considerations for Prefabricated Balconies

Prefabrication may well be the streamlined and simplified method of balcony production, but considerations still need to be taken when using a prefabricated balcony product.

Firstly, balconies need to be designed to ensure compatibility with modular construction processes. Implementing a modular design further allows balcony components to be fabricated off-site in controlled environments, enhancing quality control and streamlining assembly processes on-site.

Ensuring your balcony design integrates seamlessly with other building systems such as façade elements and structural supports, can enhance overall project coordination and efficiency.

Compliance with step codes in Canada must also be considered. Having a prefabricated balcony can lead to sustainability benefits, but making sure that balcony designs comply with relevant building codes and regulations, including requirements for structural integrity, fire safety, and accessibility, are crucial for ensuring code compliance.

 

Prefabrication is reinventing modern balcony construction – as time goes on, we’re seeing signs that the modular approach to balcony manufacturing could be on its way to becoming the norm.

Whilst there are design considerations that need to be taken in order to make prefabricated balconies work on your development, the benefits are enormous. Building with CLT / Mass Timber can mean faster construction times and with a CLT connection bracket, installing a balcony is as simple as gliding it straight on.

Finally, with the various benefits of a prefabricated approach such as faster installation times, reduced working hours on site and quality assurance, your development can benefit from not only a streamlined approach, but a lighter, safer, kinder one too, with more possibilities than ever before.

To learn more about how a prefabricated solution could benefit your project, visit our Next Generation suite page:[/sapphire_textBlock][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=”” order=”Image left / content right” image=”13193″ heading=”Discover Sapphire’s Next Generation Balcony” button_text=”Discover” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2Fbalconies%2Four-product%2Fthe-next-generation-balcony%2F|title:The%20Next%20Generation%20Balcony”][vc_column][sapphire_contentLink order=”Image left / content right” image=”13193″ heading=”Discover Sapphire’s Next Generation Balcony” button_text=”Discover” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2Fbalconies%2Four-product%2Fthe-next-generation-balcony%2F|title:The%20Next%20Generation%20Balcony”]The Next Generation Balcony is a huge step forward for the construction market[/sapphire_contentLink][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=”” el_id=”” el_class=”” css=””][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTNDZGl2JTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJ3cGJfd3JhcHBlciUyMiUzRSUzQ2RpdiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIydGV4dC1vdmVybGF5JTIwbWItNSUyMiUzRSUwQSUyMCUyMCUzQ2ZpZ3VyZSUzRSUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUzQ2RpdiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyaW1nLWZsdWlkJTIwcmVzcG9uc2l2ZS1pbWFnZSUyMiUyMHN0eWxlJTNEJTIyYmFja2dyb3VuZC1pbWFnZSUzQXVybCUyOGh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGcmVzLmNsb3VkaW5hcnkuY29tJTJGc2FwcGhpcmUtYmFsY29uaWVzJTJGaW1hZ2UlMkZ1cGxvYWQlMkZ2MTY2MDcyNjk0OCUyRkNUQTFfa2lxaTVjLnBuZyUyOSUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRmRpdiUzRSUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUyMCUwQSUyMCUyMCUyMCUzQ2ZpZ2NhcHRpb24lM0UlMjAlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlM0NoNCUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyY2FyZC10aXRsZSUyMGJvbGQlMjIlMjBzdHlsZSUzRCUyMmZvbnQtc2l6ZSUzQSUyMDQ2cHglM0IlMjIlM0VHZXQlMjBpbiUyMHRvdWNoJTNDJTJGaDQlM0UlMEElMEElM0NwJTNFQ29udGFjdCUyMHVzJTIwd2l0aCUyMHlvdXIlMjBwcm9qZWN0JTIwZGV0YWlscyUyMHZpYSUyMG91ciUyMGVhc3klMjBvbmxpbmUlMjBmb3JtLiUzQyUyRnAlM0UlMEElM0NhJTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJidG4lMjBidG4tc2Vjb25kYXJ5JTIyJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMmh0dHAlM0ElMkYlMkZsb2NhbGhvc3QlMkZiYWxjb25pZXMlMkZjb250YWN0LXVzJTIyJTIwdGFyZ2V0JTNEJTIyX2JsYW5rJTIyJTIwcmVsJTNEJTIyJTIyJTNFJTNDc3BhbiUzRUNvbnRhY3QlMjB1cyUyMHRvZGF5JTNDJTJGc3BhbiUzRSUzQyUyRmElM0UlMEElMEElMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlM0MlMkZkaXYlM0UlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjAlM0MlMkZmaWdjYXB0aW9uJTNFJTBBJTIwJTIwJTNDJTJGZmlndXJlJTNFJTBBJTNDJTJGZGl2JTNFJTBBJTNDJTJGZGl2JTNF[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How do Tie-Rod balconies work?

Posted on by Sajjad B

[vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]What is a tie-rod? Tie-rod design is the process of attaching supporting metal rods between the balcony and façade to secure the Cassette in place. Simplicity is key – great benefits can be found in a simple tie-rod design.

Keeping things simple is a joy. The simplicity of a good book, an early night’s rest or a hot bath are some of the most often reported joys in our personal lives. This simple delight can and should be extended to our professional lives – if satisfaction can be found in construction, it will be found in tie-rod design.

Tie-rods are a smart method of connecting a balcony Cassette® to the building’s façade. By using tie-rods between the far-projecting corners of the balcony and the building, the overall force on the balcony anchors can be reduced as well as increased thermal protection.

Connections for tie-rods

Beyond just reducing force on the balcony anchor, the tie-rod design is versatile in that it can be connected to just about any type of façade. Early consultation is key here – Anchors would normally need to be considered well in advance of a series of balconies being designed, let alone installed, as they would need either casting at the same time as the slabs between floors or would need casting into a precast façade.

Tie-rod anchors are smaller by design as the force is carried mostly by the tie-wire connection to the building itself. These smaller connections can easily be fixed through small penetrations into the slab, the building’s façade at balustrade level or even set into a balcony above.

Tie-rod anchors

As previously mentioned, a smaller anchor is needed for a tie-rod design due to most of the moment of the balcony being taken by the tie-rod itself. Due to the smaller anchors, less penetration is needed into the façade. With less penetration comes less risk of thermal bridging, making tie-rod anchors a very sensible choice from a thermal perspective.

Utilising the thermal bridging-averse properties of smaller anchors is excellent for colder or even more moderate climates like Northern Europe or Canada. This makes for a future-proofed and sustainable solution for each area.

Designing the costs out of balconies is crucial for your project – a simplified design can reduce labour costs, improve production efficiency and reduce material waste. Cost reduction through tie-rod design does not mean you have to sacrifice the features that are important in order to hit budgets. Find out more by downloading our whitepaper:[/sapphire_textBlock][sapphire_contentLinkBottom image=”10854″ heading=”Designing the costs out of balconies – Whitepaper” button_text=”Download” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2Fbalconies%2Fknowledge%2Fwhite-papers%2Fhow-to-design-the-costs-out-of-balconies-whitepaper%2F|target:_blank|rel:nofollow”]Download our whitepaper on designing the costs out of balconies.[/sapphire_contentLinkBottom][sapphire_textBlock]

Beaumont Court & Richmond House – Case study

We’re no stranger to using tie-rods as a simple yet elegant solution for our balconies. One project that we are proud to have used a tie-rod design on was Beaumont Court and Richmond House – a renovation of an existing building, meaning anchors could not be cast into the slab. Our dedicated design team made the intelligent decision to use tie-rods to connect to an already existing façade, achieving a high level of rigidity without needing to know the exact strength of the existing floor.[/sapphire_textBlock][sapphire_textOverlayBlock image=”12197″ heading=”Beaumont Court & Richmond House – Case Study” button_text=”Read more” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2Fbalconies%2Fcase-studies%2Fbeaumont-court-and-richmond-house%2F|title:Beaumont%20Court%20and%20Richmond%20House” double_height=””]Read all about how we’ve used tie-rods as a simple but elegant solution on our previous projects.[/sapphire_textOverlayBlock][sapphire_textBlock]Simplicity is key. By allowing connections to many parts of a façade, to pre-existing facades or by reducing the risk of thermal bridging, your project can be simple. Why not get in touch with us today to find out how Sapphire can streamline your development:[/sapphire_textBlock][sapphire_textOverlayBlock image=”4239″ heading=”Is Simplicity the Solution?” button_text=”Read more” button_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%2Fbalconies%2Findustry-news%2Fis-simplicity-the-solution%2F|title:Is%20Simplicity%20the%20Solution%3F%20Ask%20The%20Expert” double_height=””]We ask our expert Lee Goodenough whether simplicity is the solution when designing and streamlining your development.[/sapphire_textOverlayBlock][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=”” el_id=”” el_class=”” css=””][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Not masters of the bespoke

Posted on by Sajjad B

[vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]We’re not masters of the bespoke. Plain and simple. That’s not to say your balcony cannot be unique, nor that we don’t provide customised products for every project that we work on – it’s to say bespoke, one-off, or luxury just aren’t words in our vocabulary. We, with the help of our dedicated design team and accredited installers, work with a custom modular model to keep our products rigid, ready, and right, never compromising on quality.

So, with that in mind, why should modular design be considered the way forward? Why aren’t we masters of the bespoke?

Modular balconies vs Bespoke metalwork specialists

Whilst it may be tempting to create a bespoke metalwork design and speak to a metal fabricator to manufacture your balcony, it’s worth considering the drawbacks. Firstly, the design hours spent on a luxury piece of metalwork will be drastically higher as each element of the balcony will need to be considered from scratch. Furthermore, if the design isn’t repeatable, these design hours (and therefore the cost of the project) will increase further. Multiply these costs by the price of the variety of materials used and it’s easy to understand why bespoke design is a luxury.

Conversely, the benefits of custom modular design are huge. By choosing from a variety of select options on offer, we’re able to reduce the total design hours, manufacturing costs and ultimately, the cost of the project. We also aim to keep project designs repeatable, meaning not just uniform design across the external envelope, but an even further reduction in overheads. Finally, through modular design, we can accurately control the quality of every balcony leaving our factories using our Passport system.

Custom balcony options

Just like buying from a car showroom, we offer custom options across our balcony and balcony balustrades. Bespoke design would be like trying to make design choices on the chassis of your car. We’ve already sorted the chassis (the Cassette®), and the engine (the Glide-On™ system) – all you need to do is decide how to customise the balcony to your liking.

Each of our options can be customised to your liking. We offer several types of non-combustible decking through our partner MyDek, as well as balconies and balustrades in any RAL palette colour. Should you want a baby blue vertical bar balustrade, we have the customisation options available for you to request it through COACH – what isn’t needed is the redesign of the bar profiles every time.

Customisation with COACH

Using our innovative design tool COACH, it’s possible to see the options available and gather reports on how your design will affect the costs, carbon neutrality and work hours before even speaking with a member of our dedicated sales team. Options for drainage (controlled edge and rear piped), balustrading (vertical bar, frameless structural glass, or modular perforated panel), and even the size of the balcony are available on demand.

COACH is a tool to provide you with the initial design experience without that being a bespoke, or luxury, consultation. We believe it should be simple to visualise your design and so COACH is that pioneering solution.

If this interests you, click through to https://coach.balconies.global to explore the tool at your leisure.[/sapphire_textBlock][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]It’s important to consider whether you can fix the balcony Cassette across your scheme, whether there is a need on your project for a one-off bespoke design when COACH has tens of thousands of options available, or whether limiting your scope for balcony types and sizes has a significant cost benefit for your project.

Our specialism in custom modular design is what sets us apart from the crowd. Not only do our custom balconies make the design process far simpler, but we also promise never to compromise on the quality of your project. The reason we’re not masters of the bespoke is that ‘bespoke’ is a luxury. You shouldn’t have to consider that adding balconies to your project is a luxury because, at Sapphire, we’re innovating to prosper the community, not just a select few.

Try our COACH design tool here: https://coach.balconies.global/

Think about the five key considerations in balcony design here: /five-key-considerations-for-balcony-design/[/sapphire_textBlock][/vc_column][/vc_row]