Tag: light gauge steel frames

How Many Building Frames Can a Sapphire Balcony Connect To?

Posted on by Nimrita Bassi

At Sapphire Balconies, we can connect balconies to various building structures, including traditional reinforced concrete (RC) frames, cross-laminated timber (CLT) frames, light gauge steel frames (LGSF), tunnel form structures (TFS), and even Peikko’s DELTABEAM® Frame.   

Leading the market through innovation, we ensure that our balconies meet the unique demands of each structure, providing lightweight options that complement sustainable materials while maintaining strong, safe connections.  

Cross-Laminated Timber Frames   

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

Benefits of CLT:   

  1. Improved Project Efficiency: CLT as a prefabricated material is incredibly flexible for building design. Whilst concrete is the conventional option due to its perceived rigidity, some companies favour CLT over concrete as it is 20–30% faster to install and can reduce the need for on-site labour.   
  2. Strong Fire Performance: The fire performance of CLT is exceptional as it is fire-rated and compliant for ongoing use.  

Reinforced Concrete Frames  

A traditional concrete frame is built from the ground up, poured between stacks of rebar steel to create a sturdy wall to the building.   

Thanks to its rigidity, this method is used to this day as a reliable (albeit slower than a precast alternative) way to build apartment blocks and a durable material to anchor a balcony into. However, given how labour- and carbon-intensive this approach is, many countries are looking for more advanced approaches.  

  1. We can connect to a traditionally poured concrete façade in several ways with our lightweight aluminium Cassette® balconies. Their slim, manageable form allows any number of connections to be made.
  2. Using our innovative and speedy solution, we cast the anchors into the concrete slab. This forms a robust base for the balcony Cassette® to slide directly onto, at which stage it is secured by an on-site team.  

Light Gauge Steel Frames  

Light gauge steel frames are a modern solution for low-rise buildings (up to 15 storeys), offering faster construction, cleaner sites, and a reduced carbon footprint. As the name suggests, LGSF is a skeleton of sorts for a building, a dynamic and versatile application that uses lightweight, 100% non-combustible material to provide the inner support for a building whilst staying as green as possible.   

Considerations when connecting balconies to LGSF:  

  1. Due to the lightweight nature of LGSF, balconies should be as light as possible to avoid any instances of deflection. 
  2. With balcony anchors, a key issue is the connection back into the frame, as rotational deflection can occur here. Sapphire has developed new connection methods that provide extra rigidity.   

The DELTABEAM® Frame  

Peikko’s DELTABEAM® is an innovative steel building frame that reduces the number of columns needed in a building. This allows for longer spans of unsupported horizontal beams, giving you more floor area for any given building footprint.  

  1. Sapphire Balconies are able to connect to the DELTABEAM® frame without compromising on thermal performance, installation speed, or cost.   
  2. This solution is suitable for any project as it comes with standard components that don’t require unique costs, technologies, or modifications.   

Connecting balconies to a DELTABEAM® frame previously required a concrete infill, but – thanks to collaboration between Peikko and Sapphire – that’s now a thing of the past.  

We connected balconies to the DELTABEAM® frame at Silvertown Quays in Newham, London.   

Read our full blog to learn more.  

Tunnel Form Structures  

Tunnel construction is a framework that allows a building contractor or developer to cast walls and concrete slabs at once as part of a daily routine.   

It is one of the many modern methods of construction (MMC) that are now used to increase the speed of projects and the quality of the final result, based on the accuracy that off-site production and storage can provide.  

Connecting balconies to TFS:  

  1. As with standard concrete slabs, tunnel construction cells can be penetrated and thermally guarded on-site to create balcony connection points.  
  2. Because tunnel cells are cast in situ, the balcony connections can be cast with the concrete slab to avoid excess penetration of the slab itself.    

Sapphire’s lightweight balconies can easily connect to TFS.   

If you have a project in mind and would like to discuss it, get in touch with our team and we’ll be happy to help you.   

Light gauge steel frames

Posted on by Sajjad B

[vc_row width=”70″ background_image=””][vc_column][sapphire_textBlock]The dawn of the global pandemic in 2020 accentuated the urgent need for a smarter way to build homes, offices, and public buildings. Due to the various modern construction methods available in the 21st century, light gauge steel frames were a widely available option to developers to keep constructing buildings quickly with minimal workers on site.

Light gauge steel frames (LGSF) are a modern solution for low-rise (up to 15-storey) buildings, offering faster construction, cleaner sites, and a reduced carbon footprint. As the name suggests, LGSF is a skeleton of sorts for a building, a dynamic and versatile application that uses lightweight, 100% non-combustible material to provide the inner support for a building whilst staying as green as possible.

Getting the connections right

It is of the utmost importance to get the balcony anchors right when using LGSF. Due to the lightweight nature of LGSF, a balcony should be as light as possible to avoid any instances of deflection.

A key point to consider with balcony anchors and LGSF is the bracket connection back into the frame, as rotational deflection can occur here. Sapphire has developed new connection methods which provide extra rigidity. As with any anchor connection, the material used on the building façade is crucial and whilst offering a lighter, more environmentally friendly base to build on, the precautions needed to make a balcony connection safe are vital.

Implementing light gauge steel frames

Traditionally, buildings are built using a dual-layer ‘brick and block’ approach – a skin of bricks on the exterior, a cavity normally filled with insulation and then a final layer of bricks on the interior of the building. A light gauge steel frame is generally prefabricated and delivered to the site for a quick installation. In a precast façade, the balcony anchors can be built alongside the façade itself. Putting the anchors in place and then pouring the concrete in situ can mean less thermal bridging risk as the façade has not been penetrated.

Brent House case study

Brent House is a development situated minutes away from Wembley Stadium, and home to 248 balconies that Sapphire is proud to have designed, manufactured, and supplied. The building used light gauge steel framing, so it was quick to be built, but this meant consideration had to be put into place around the weight of the balconies and the way in which they would be installed.

Given the deep projection of the balconies at Brent House and the LGSF used, a key concern for the architect was the weight of traditional balconies. With this taken into consideration, our aluminium Glide-On™ solution was used. Our lightweight aluminium Cassette® is half the weight of its steel alternative, meaning the load on the frame was drastically reduced.

To read more about Brent House, download the full case study here: /case-studies/brent-house-case-study/

The architects and builders of light gauge steel framed buildings need to take considerations on several key levels. They need to minimise the weight and projection of balconies on the building. They need to ensure the frame can deal with the moment forces of balcony anchors. Finally, they need to consider the use of Sapphire’s new bracket options which reduce penetration and minimise the moment and shear forces of the balconies attached.

Building with light gauge steel framing has made construction simpler and faster on a lot of projects over the last few decades and when considerations are taken into place, the benefits of light gauge steel framing spill over to balcony installation too. To learn how Sapphire’s aluminium Glide-On™ Cassettes® could marry up with your light gauge steel framed project, contact us using the form below:[/sapphire_textBlock][/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]