a pedestal for every project
TRANSCRIPT
A Pedestal For Every Project:Overcoming 5 Key Challenges in External Flooring
ContentsIntroduction 3
What Can You Expect From This Guide? 4
Challenge 1: Drainage 6
Creating Drainage Gaps for Paving 7
Edge Design and Support 8
Creating a Void Beneath the Surface 9
Case Study - ExCel Exhibition Centre & Aloft Hotel 10
Challenge 2: Inclined or Uneven Terraces 11
Slope Correction Options 12
Durability & Strength 13
Key Features to Look Out for When Specifying Pedestals for Inclines 15
Creating Ramps 16
Challenge 3: Separating Pavers 18
Uniform Edges 19
Flexibility of Design 20
Challenge 4: Installation Times 21
Levelling Existing Groundworks 22
Building Sub-frames 23
Other Key Time-Saving Characteristics of the Buzon Range 24
Challenge 5: Fire Rating 25
Conclusion 26
Introduction The installation of an external flooring application isn’t without its challenges. Whether working on a commercial, residential or industrial project, careful product selection is crucial in achieving a result that’s safe, compliant and, of course, aesthetically pleasing.
The adjustable pedestal that sits underneath your chosen surface material is almost always the ‘unsung hero’ of the application. Although hidden from sight, it is the crucial component that ensures effective drainage, a level surface, access to essential services and so much more.
Without a pedestal that has been engineered to a high standard, compliancy, safety and the overall result will be greatly compromised.
Whilst every project is unique, we regularly come across the same key challenges that project designers – and indeed installers – face on a regular basis. For that reason, we have put together this short guide aimed at anyone involved in the specification process of an external flooring application. We aim to identify five key challenges, and what you, as a specifier, should look out for and consider during product selection process.
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What Can You Expect From This Guide?This guide imparts knowledge gained through decades of industry experience involved in some of the world’s most prestigious projects.
If you haven’t heard of Buzon, you will most certainly recognise the leading locations where our pedestals have played more than just a supporting role.
By identifying some of the key challenges that designers and installers typically face within the application of external flooring and how these can be overcome, this guide will ensure your confidence in current and future projects.
We also aim to highlight not only the problems, but the real-life contexts with which our pedestals have been utilised.
We explore our work in some of the most challenging of projects, giving you an understanding of how Buzon’s adjustable pedestals and accessories can be used to fulfil and exceed your design requirements.
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It is with that experience that Buzon has paved the way for innovations within the design and manufacture of adjustable pedestals across the construction industry.
This guide promises: • A better understanding of pedestal characteristics • Increased awareness of solutions • More confidence in your specifications
Whilst the intricacies of adjustable pedestals can appear complex, we aim to help solve common misconceptions that’ll save you time, stress and even unnecessary budget expenses.
By the end of this guide, you will understand that there really is ...
A Pedestal for Every Project
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Challenge 1: Drainage Outdoor spaces and moisture: they go hand in hand. Whether you are grappling with the unpredictable British weather or spillages associated with a busy recreational area, it is crucial that sufficient drainage is planned into the design of your outdoor flooring area.
Water pooling on a surface can not only present a significant slip hazard, but it can also cause damage to more sensitive surface materials.
Some Surface Materials Are Better for Drainage Than Others
Timber and composite boards will naturally create a space for drainage, as water will easily work its way between the deck boards.
However, if you wish to use paved applications, it’s essential that you create drainage gaps between your pavers. Not only this, but uniformity is key to creating a professional aesthetic, and it will also allow for easy-lifting of pavers should you need to access the void below.
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Creating Drainage Gaps for PavingSpacer tabs play a significant role when it comes to effective drainage for tiled areas.
To maximise the capabilities of the spacer tabs, you need to make sure that the pedestal range you choose has the right selection of height, width and shaped spacer tab options to suit your chosen pavers.
Certain pedestals on the market have limited choice when it comes to spacer tabs, which, in turn will impact its functionality around drainage. Versatility is key if you want to achieve your complex design effectively.
For a more detailed overview of spacer tab characteristics, head over to ‘Challenge 3’.
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Stopping Splashback
Grating systems are a great way to protect your façade from splashback, whether it be a door, a window or a regular wall. However, these systems can be costly.
ALUgrate is a specialised cost-effective edging product with a unique geometry which allows it to ‘trap’ rainwater, which then falls directly onto the weatherproof membrane or insulation layer below. ALUgrate is compatible with both paving and decking.
The picture to the left shows ALUgrate used on the roof terrace of the Royal Opera House with Grad decking.
Edge Design and SupportEdges shouldn’t be overlooked during the design of the external flooring. Water build up around the application’s perimeter will pose a health and safety risk, as well as an eyesore for users.
An ‘Edge Support’ that is compatible with your chosen pedestal will ensure a regular gap between the paver and terrace edge.
See ‘Challenge 3’ for more information about spacer tabs for edges.
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Creating a Void Beneath the SurfaceBuzon pedestals naturally create a void beneath your surface. This allows rainwater to run under your external flooring application, ensuring pipes, cabling or drainage channels can be kept out of sight, ideal for a visually appealing finish.
Specifying Pedestals for Effective Drainage
Observe the design of the pedestal itself. Does it facilitate good drainage? Does it have holes in the head and base to allow water to pass through without pooling on any part of the pedestal?
Ensuring effective drainage will often require the use of certain accessories that work alongside the pedestal. It’s essential that these accessories are factored into your design to ensure ultimate longevity of your system.
Water Features
Water features are the ultimate test for your pedestal’s drainage credentials! Having being specified in numerous water features around the world, it’s a testament to the drainage capabilities of Buzon pedestals.
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Case Study - ExCel Exhibition Centre & Aloft HotelProject: ExCel Exhibition Centre & Aloft Hotel
Location: London, UK
Product: Buzon BC pedestals
Architect: Jestico & Whiles
Main Contractor: Sir Robert McAlpine Project Details
ExCeL is the largest permanent exhibition site in London, with a vast entrance podium that links up with the Aloft Hotel. The overall terrace area exceeds 2,100m² all on one level.
The building’s car parks are situated below the terrace, with countless drain access points that require annual maintenance.
The terrace design required pedestals to accommodate a void of 220mm and non-standard spacer tabs to facilitate the irregular paver layout, with gaps between the pavers wide enough to allow drainage in extreme weather conditions.
The Buzon BC range with its unique circular spacer tabs were perfectly suited to the job, and over 25,000 pedestals were used to complete the project. 10
Challenge 2: Inclined or Uneven TerracesIt’s rare that an outdoor decking project starts with a level surface, whether it be groundworks that have been laid to fall, or simply not levelled off at all during construction.
In fact, designers are constantly looking to create outdoor spaces in the most unique of areas.
That’s why it’s important to specify a pedestal that can facilitate complex design projects and challenging spaces, as well as easily handing clean and regular areas.
Slope Correction
Many adjustable pedestals on the market have been designed to accommodate varying slopes, and as such, is a key feature of the component.
Versatility is key here, and specifiers should seek to find a solution that not only has slope correction built into the head of the pedestal, but one that allows for independent slope correction options, too.
An ability to adjust the level beyond 5%, is what architects and designers should aim for if working on more complex projects.
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Slope Correction OptionsFor steeper inclines and projects where the pedestal height is significant, you want to be able to keep your pedestal as vertical as possible, so having flexibility in whether you add slope correction to the head or the base, will assist in this scenario.
Buzon Pedestals offer great flexibility:
DPH with inbuilt slope correction in the head, up to 5%, an additional 10% can be gained by adding up to two base slope correctors
The BC & BC-FR ranges have no inbuilt slope correction but can achieve up to 15% with a single slope corrector added to the head and up to two on the base
Because of larger head of the PB pedestal range, up to 10% can be achieved by adding up to two slope correctors to the base.
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Durability & StrengthWhen dealing with inclines, it is also important to closely consider and strength & durability. An inclined exterior flooring area must accommodate heavy loads.
Relatively new to building technology, polypropylene is an excellent material for those seeking a durable, highly corrosion-resistant and sustainable solution, and too few builders, developers, and architects understand their full range of capabilities.
Buzon pedestals are extensively load-tested; the results of which can be found in our extensive collection of technical data sheets.
Alongside a 30-year project warranty, you can be confident that your Buzon pedestals are built with strength and durability in mind.
Chelsea Football Club13
Useful ToolsBuzon have designed some innovative time-saving tools to use with their slope correction features.
The Bubble-Level is used for determining the precise angle of correction needed at each pedestal location. The U-Foot can be used for holding the base slope correctors in place when fitting the pedestal.
Check out this video for more information.
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Key Features to Look Out for When Specifying Pedestals for Inclines• The ability to easily and conveniently route cables or other
services beneath the deck or terrace for exterior lighting, irrigation etc.
• To leave useful drainage gulleys or other waterways for functionality and easy concealment.
• Accommodate heavy loading requirements.
• If applicable, Class B Fire-Rating.
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Google HQ
Creating RampsChoosing the right pedestal can assist in the creation of slopes, not just correcting them.
Buzon pedestals have been used for projects where ramps are part of the design by using a series of ever-increasing height pedestals with slope correctors to create the incline, like the one here at Google’s Headquarters in London.
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Case Study – 245 Hammersmith
Project Details
245 Hammersmith Road is a commercial development in Hammersmith, W6, London.
The 10-storey scheme provides 22,482m² of flexible office accommodation and 1,207m² of retail and restaurant space at ground level, as well as exciting new public space for the local community, covering in excess of 2,500m².
The reconfiguration of the original site has allowed the buildings to be stepped back from Hammersmith Road, creating the opportunity for new landscaped space at the front of the development.
The resultant plaza, terraces and podium garden are beautifully designed by Exterior Architecture, incorporating porcelain tiles and corten steel planters alongside timber decking and seating. Clever lighting schemes bring a touch of magic as daylight fades.
Buzon UK supplied and installed the Buzon DPH and ALUrail systems, with 1200x600mm and 600x600mm porcelain pavers from Alfresco Floors.
Project: 245 Hammersmith
Location: London, UK
Products: DPH Pedestals, ALUrail
Size: 3,200m²
Landscape Architect: Exterior
Architecture
Architect: Sheppard Robson
Main Contractor: LendLease
Client: Legal & General
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Challenge 3: Separating PaversWe’ve touched briefly on how separating pavers or tiles can allow for easy drainage, and of course, a uniform appearance.
However, the ability for pavers to be lifted when necessary to access hidden services such as electrical cables or irrigation pipes, for example, is also essential.
In this chapter we will explore, in-depth, the characteristics of Buzon’s unique spacer tabs and how they can help create uniform gaps between pavers.
Height Matters
Whilst you want to achieve uniformity of spacing between pavers, there are good reasons why you wouldn’t want spacer tabs to be taller than the paver depth.
Aesthetically it would be wrong but more importantly it would break up the flat surface, potentially causing a trip hazard.
With 20mm porcelain being the slimmest profile of paver, a 17mm high spacer tab is a great option and also works well with deeper paver options.Goldman Sachs HQ
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Uniform EdgesIn the past, installers have had to be creative when it comes to keeping the gaps between the wall and the terrace uniform.
There are two scenarios that comes up time and time again – either there is a complete tile at the edge of the terrace which means that the supporting pedestal has to move inwards along the tile leaving the edge without it’s normal spacer tab, or there is a portion of a tile that is not big enough for a pedestal.
Buzon have come up with two very clever products to resolve those issues and provide spacer tabs along the terrace edge.
U-Edge works where incomplete tiles, either regular or irregular pieces, make up the terrace edge; it allows for flexibility of spacer tab position on the pedestal head as well as uniform spacing along the edge.
U-Wall allows the supporting pedestal to sit very slightly away from the wall, whilst maintaining the position of the tile with perfect alignment to the edge and preventing any lateral movement.
Curves and corners can also be accommodated using these products.
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Flexibility of DesignUnusual paver layout designs or irregular-shaped tiles can create a challenge for the installer. Most spacer tabs are designed to deal with regular rectangular pavers or tiles but what happens if you want to be a bit more creative with your design?
Buzon’s BC and BC-FR ranges are designed to handle exactly that, with 20 individual spacer tabs slots placed over the head of the pedestal, 16 of which are designed for circular-based spacer tabs that can rotate 360 degrees and can be orientated according to the angle of the tile cut.
Due to the unique circular shape of the spacer tab, they are highly adaptable to all forms of paver, meaning that your choice of design can be accommodated – even with geometric patterns, guaranteed!
How Do Spacer Tabs Attach to The Pedestal?
This will vary depending on what manufacturer you choose. In Buzon’s case, the spacer tabs for the BC and BC-FR range spacer tab are fitted individually on the head of the pedestal.
With the DPH and PB range, the spacer tabs fit centrally on the pedestal head as a complete unit.
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Challenge 4: Installation TimesIn any construction project, ‘time’ is one of your client’s most valued assets.
The longer it takes for a terrace installation in a hotel, for example, the longer guests won’t be able to enjoy the outdoor setting, and of course, this will have a negative effect on business.
What Takes Up Most of The Time When Installing External Flooring?
With external flooring applications, installers could face a whole host of challenges; uneven groundworks, sub-frame build-ups, surface fixes, drainage resolution and even delays in lead time can all contribute to a less-than-efficient outcome for yourself, the installation team and, of course, the client.
To avoid this, you will need to select a solution that overcomes these challenges through clever, considerate product design.
Here we highlight three key factors in installation time, and how careful product selection can help reduce the time it takes to deliver an effective outcome for your clients.
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Levelling Existing GroundworksLevelling existing groundwork prior to application can be one of the most onerous aspects of the external construction process.
Here, we recommend the use of slope correctors, which adjust the angle of the pedestal head and subsequently the angle of whatever material you have on the surface to create a millimetre-perfect level terrace.
You can add slope correctors to the base or head of our pedestals, or for even more time saving, our DPH pedestal range has a patented built-in slope correction.
Whichever method you choose, individual pedestals can be adjusted accordingly to create a level surface.
To make this process even easier, our Bubble-Level slope calculator measures the value and direction of the slope at the point of placement and shows you instantly which setting is required.
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Building Sub-frames In the past, decked terraces have relied on the building of timber or metal frames to provide support for the surface material, whether it be for timber, metal or composite decking. If paving is the surface material of choice, other types of build-up have been necessary in order to provide a flat surface on which to apply fixings.
The Buzon system removes the need for all of that as the pedestals create a natural sub-frame at a height from 11mm upwards to 1130mm. The heads of pedestals can be used with spacer tabs to accommodate pavers, or joist holders to accommodate timber or aluminium beams.
Accommodating Difficult Areas
Not every flooring application is perfectly rectangular in shape. In fact, this is very rarely the case for most designs.
Curved areas are often what makes the end result visually interesting. For curved areas, the heads of the BC and BC-FR Pedestals allow a unique and flexible arrangement of both rectangular and circular spacer tabs, allowing for the most creative designs.
The Buzon ALUrail system makes easy work of tight angular spaces or where you might want a cantilevered overhang.
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Other Key Time-Saving Characteristics of the Buzon Range
Tiles are laid on top of the pedestal with no major fixing or grouting required.
Natural drainage means that ‘special features’ do not need to be incorporated into the specification to ensure water runoff.
The pedestals themselves are easy to put together and manipulate.
We keep over half a million products at our facilities in East Anglia and can guarantee 48-hour delivery for stock items.
Buzon makes simple yet clever products with the technical documentation and expertise to back them up.
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Challenge 5: Fire Rating
Class A-Rated
As a result, Buzon is launching its very first A1 adjustable pedestal, the A-PED. This latest non-combustible solution has an integrated slope corrector which allows up to 5% of millimetre-precise correction, as well as features that make it compatible for paving, decking and grating.
Combined with a large load spreader plate base that won’t compromise insulation or waterproof membrane, and an adjustment range starting at 42mm, the A-PED is the most advanced Class A1 fire-rated pedestal on the market.
Class B-Rated
For external areas that demand Class B-rated materials, it can sometimes be difficult to source not only pedestals but appropriately rated accessories, such as shims and spacer tabs.
The Buzon BC-FR pedestal has been designed to meet the European and British BS EN 13501-1 standard, achieving a Bfl-S1 classification. It is based on the BC range, which is the most flexible of all of the Buzon ranges with unique spacer tab designs, slope correction up to 15% and the smallest pedestal at 11mm.
The need to deliver fire-rating compliance has never been greater since the recent change in Building Regulations.
A-PED
BC-FR
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ConclusionFor more than thirty years, Buzon has been developing and manufacturing its world-renowned pedestals, which are now the ‘go-to’ product on the market.
Enhancing your outdoor spaces, Buzon always seeks to sell a product that is constantly evolving with technology.
The challenges outlined in this eBook can be easily addressed through the use of Buzon’s pedestal systems, which contain a multitude of product variations and sizing options to meet every need of the designer or specifier.
Talk to one of our experts about how we can enhance your next project.
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Buzon UKUnit 6Teddington Business ParkStation RoadTeddingtonTW11 9BQ
Tel: + 44 (0)20 8614 0874Fax: + 44 (0)20 8977 0825