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The answer for high-rise balconies and beyond?
In the wake of Grenfell, Building Regulations have rapidly shifted to a more fire-safe position – Richard Izzard of AliDeck explains how aluminium suppliers have responded quickly to provide an increased range of options for balcony specification
ire safety is paramount post-Grenfell, the specification of non-combustible materials in the external envelope of high-rise buildings is now mandated in the revised Building Regulations. With balconies clearly defined as ‘specified attachments’ to the external envelope, the new more-stringent regulatory environment requires balcony materials to be equally fire-safe, removing previously common materials, such as timber or composite decking, from the options available to specifiers.
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Rather than curse the limitations of these necessary changes, architects and specifiers have rapidly embraced the new opportunities made available to them by the increasingly sophisticated metal balcony component systems that manufacturers have delivered to the market in response to the evolving legislation.
Aluminium in particular has risen to the
fore, with several manufacturers reacting to the situation by developing comprehensive aluminium systems for balconies, some of which include decking boards, support joists, pedestals, soffit cladding, balustrades, and more.
What became clear in the aftermath of Grenfell was the real paucity of non- combustible materials for balconies, with timber or composite being the long- established de facto standard materials and little else commonly available. As Approved Document B began to be amended, though, non-combustibility became an absolute requirement and aluminium was soon recognised as the main viable choice.
Off-the-shelf compliance To satisfy the new regulations, all materials must be certified to EuroClass A1 or A2-s1, d0 ratings. Aluminium easily achieves this standard, and, when powder-coated to Qualicoat standards, no smoke emission
ADF DECEMBER 2020
and no production of flaming droplets. The compliance guarantee that these fire ratings deliver to specifiers is invaluable, allowing for essentially ‘off-the-shelf’ specification of relevant products and peace-of-mind that proposals are robust and, most importantly, safe. By specifying aluminium balcony components, an architect can be sure that their design is compliant from conception to construction. Over the last 12 months in particular, it has become clear that architects and designers have recognised and embraced this simple and guaranteed route to compliance.
It has by no means been a smooth transition, though. As regulations began to evolve following Grenfell, and against a backdrop of the unrecognised implications for balcony design, many new and in-progress developments fell between the cracks and were completed with timber or composite decking across their balconies. We’re still seeing newly completed high and low-rise developments that have non-compliant materials in their balcony and terrace decks. It is a major problem and has resulted in a huge amount of
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We’re still seeing newly completed high and low- rise developments that have non-compliant materials in their balcony and terrace decks
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