Summary Of Draft

BS8579

Balcony StandardAndrew Parsons

Technical Director

© All slides copyright Sapphire Balconies Ltd

Why Is A Balcony Standard Needed?

Who has been on the committee?

Diverse Balcony

Specialities

2 Leading Architects 3 Insurers

2 Fabricators

Sapphire

2 Glass Consultants

3 Façade Specialists

2 Contractors

2 Structural Engineers

2 Thermal Specialists

1 Rainwater goods manufacturer.

MHCLG

2 Fire Consultants1 Acoustic Specialist

1 Wind Engineer

Who are Sapphire

27 years established

> 15,00027

100%

4000

BS 8579 34100 focused on balcony design

Sold over 15,000 Glide-On balconies in the last 5 years.

Part of the new

BS 8579 committee.

Record set for the

number of balconies

installed in 6 hours

4000 balconies due to be produced in 2020

Section 3. Terms and definitions

Section 4. General principles.

Section 5. Enclosure.

Considerations;

• Daylight

• Thermal

• Ventilation

• Acoustic

• Fire

Section 6. Arrangement of balconies

Section 7. Guidance on wind effects

Wind effects.

Influences:

• Location

• Direction

• Terrain

• Height

• Position on building

Conclusions;

• Wind pressure zones should be considered

relative to the building face as a whole, not

to the individual balcony.

• Uplift loads from wind need not be

considered for residential balconies

Typical Calculations- Wind Loadings

Section 8. Service life and maintenance

BS 8579 covers Service life and

maintenance

Quality Management Example• Balcony Passport App to provide fully traceable quality

control through manufacture, logistics and site installation

• Liaison with site quality managers to provide well-integrated

QC system for all installations

• QR codes on product and unique serial numbers linking

checks to each unique balcony.

Section 9. Inclusive design.

BS 8579 gives Practical guidance on Inclusive

design

BS 8579 recommends

Non Combustible Decking to all balconiesMyDek is constructed of aluminium with a powder-coated finish

• Aluminium – non combustible

• Finish - A2-S1, d0 rated

Section 10. Structural design

BS8579 recommends control of Deflection

Built in adjustment to overcome dead weight

and slab edge deflections.

Test Assisted Design. Full Balcony Tests.

On Site Testing - Strength

On Site Testing - Deflection

Vibrations.• We do not consider NF to be a correct or easily measurable control measure for balconies.

• EN 1990:2002 A1.4.4(4) says; possible sources of vibration which should be considered include walking, synchronised movement of people, machinery, traffic, and wind.

• NA2.1 to BSEN 1991-1-1 identifies synchronised rhythmical movements as…pop concerts and aerobic events…

• Natural Frequency. Traditionally, NF>4 Hz using DL+ 10% LL

• Response factor. Limit of 4 -8 (assumes

continuous vibration 16 hours per day)

• Vibration dose value. 0.4m/s 1.75

Steady state and transient unlikely

due to confinement and balcony usage.

24

Safety Relating To Balconies

Balustrade Design

Section 11. Safety

Lable.

Slip resistance

Safety for persons below

Safety for installers and maintenance

• No work under live load.

• Avoid working at height.

• Adjustable cassette.

BS 8579 advises on Safety of installation

Maintenance from the balcony itself

Use of soffits

Fire Related

Balcony Design

#CollaborativeBalconyChange

Section 12. Fire.

Laminated glass!

Are Laminate Glass Balustrading Exempt?

• Reg 12.14d - laminate glass exempt for use in windows

• Reg 7.3c - confirms reg 7.2 doesn’t apply to membranes, interlayers could

be regarded as such.

• The commission decision 4/10/96 is self conflicts - allows laminate formed

of 2 materials, (PVB & glass), yet ‘material’ >1% organic not allowed (PVB

near 100%)

• Interlayer unlikely to contribute to fire load until glass is ineffective.

• Balustrade designed to resist loads with 1 leaf broken.

BS 8579 View, laminated glass is safer;• This standard is for use throughout the UK and does not simply follow the precedent set against laminated glass for

balconies in England;

• Glass for balconies, when acting as a guarding, is performing the same function as that of a full height window acting as

the same, all component parts of which are exempted from Regulation 7(2) in England;

• The guidance in 1996 Commission Decision (and Glass for Europe) is contradictory and therefore clarification is

needed;

• The writing panel has found no evidence yet of laminated glass on a balcony leading to the spread of fire across a

building or to another building;

• Glass has a place in the guarding of balconies as it can mitigate wind effects whilst at the same time allowing essential

daylight into, and views out of, interior spaces;

• Where monolithic glass is used in guarding, the predominant industry opinion and evidence available is that the risks

of injury and death from fragment impact after breakage are far higher than the safety risks associated with fire

spread in laminated glass guarding;

• The same standards should be set in terms of laminated glass for windows, doors, glazed spandrels, enclosed balcony

weather screens, open balcony guardings and Juliet balconies regardless of whether the glass guarding is part of the

window assembly or fixed to the opening.

Testing Interlayers• Sapphire has conducted in-house flammability tests

• After 5 minutes of sustained application of flame, the interlayer does not ignite easily,

and any droplets are contained.

• Working with tier 1 contractors and fire and risk consultants in Manchester to carry

out a further series of radiative heating and ignitability tests at Edinburgh University,

with a view to getting together a cloud of data which will then allow us to consider some formal certification testing.

Sapphire View, the exclusion should extend to

balustrades ;

• Met a Government Minister. Resulted in official request to Housing Minister -

Response awaited.

• Our recommendations to MHCLG were as follows;

1. In regulation 7(2) omit ‘European Classification A2-s1-d0 or Class A1, classified in accordance with BS EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009’ and add ‘European Classification A2-s1-d0, A2fl or Class A1, classified in accordance with EN 13501-1:2007+A1:2009’

2. In regulation 7(3) add ‘(k) laminated glass in balustrades

***Please fill out our questionnaire Today For lobbying MHCLG***

Impact testing. Toughened laminated glass.

500 Joules on freestanding panel , point of

impact. 140mm glass deflection.

Both 10+10 toughened glass with 1.5mm PVB

Test 1

Fully broken panel subjected to

1kN point load.

(PD 6688-1-1:2011; 0.5kN)6 days.

Test 2

Panel hanging. Still intact after 9 days.

Post breakage behaviour

Heat strengthened glass and fatigue Testing;

BS 8579 advises on

Maintaining the cavity

barrier

Stub Models Test 2 Jan 2019 11 samples. 120 mins + 10% . 1050 degrees.

Results of stub furnace tests

600 after 132

mins

Stubguard

Using A Stub Guard.

Thermal considerations

13 Thermal considerations

BS 8579 gives guidance on Thermal Bridges.

BS 8579 requires 3d thermal calcs.

On site testing. • Site testing to verify and compare with desk-top

calculations.

• Primary observation - window construction significant on

determining the final results.

• Need to separate penetrations and ventilation openings

Laboratory testing.

Section 14. Ventilation

Section 15. Weathering and hydraulic design

Types of Drainage

Controlled DrainagePiped Drainage

The eaves drainage principle

Water management

BS 8579 is

recommending

water discharge is

kept 400mm from

adjacent façade to

minimise staining.

Effect of balconies on façade protection.

Unprotected façade Vertical bar Glazed balustrade.

Drainage. Draft diagram from BS 8579

Woodberry Down 1a

30 storey. Islington. Controlled drainage.

Example Of Controlled Drainage

Examples of controlled drainage

Examples of positive drainage.

Section 16. Security

Section 17. Acoustics

BS 8579 gives guidance on Acoustics

The balcony can have

a significant effect of

shielding from airborne

sound a can be seen

by this simulation by

Southampton

University

Other Considerations

MMC Connections

Thank You