Balcony Rigidity Wows at Blackfriars

Balconies at Local Blackfriars in Salford, Manchester are among the most rigid achieved to date, eclipsing the British standard for deflection of L/180.

Heritage and modern architecture blend beautifully at Local Blackfriars as the Grade II-listed former pub has been transformed into a gateway entrance to the gated community. In a nod to the local history, the former Black Friar pub is flanked by two striking modern towers that provide 380 apartments to the area.

Concrete wall panels were chosen for this project which the contractor wanted to connect balcony bracket to, in lieu of the slab. To meet this challenge we designed a bespoke bracket that maintained the thermal break inside the cavity, while also meeting our Rigid.Ready.Right. brand promise.

The specialised brackets were produced and cast-in at the concrete wall panel manufacturer’s factory in Dublin before being shipped back to Manchester for install.

Our brand promise guarantees all our balconies will be Rigid.Ready.Right. first time. This means they must meet a minimum of L/360 deflection which is twice as rigid as the British standard. At Local Blackfriars we achieved an outstanding 0-1mm deflection when tested with a 200Kg weight making these some of the most rigid balconies installed to date.

Not only did we manage an extremely high rigidity result, we worked harmoniously with other trades to ensure the smoothness of the project programme. All 290 Glide-on™ Cassette® balconies were prefinished offsite at our production facility in Staffordshire ahead of the agreed delivery date and securely stored ready to be called to site.

The balconies were then ‘nested’ onto each pallet to optimise transportation costs and efficiency, reducing the number of lorries arriving to site and reducing emissions.

The concrete wall panels required the use of the crane Monday-Friday, so we scheduled delivery and install of our Glide-On™ balconies on weekends. This way crane costs could be minimised, the project could progress quickly, and synergy could be reached between the different trades active on the project.

The simplicity of the Glide-On™ innovation enabled teams to achieve 30 per day meaning lost program time caused by other trades could be caught up.

The result, exceptionally rigid balconies wowed at Local Blackfriars and provided residents with essential private outdoor space for a bustling central Manchester lifestyle.

Residents benefit from communal facilities including a reception, laundrette, cinema room, fitness studio, bike storage and car parking space. This development offers luxury living with their extensive indoor facilities as well as access to a relaxing ‘urban orchard’ between the towers.

Situated just two-minutes’ walk from Manchester’s vibrant shopping district, the lively northern quarter and the buzzing nightlife of Deansgate and Spinningfields. The development was designed by 5Plus Architects and delivered by Salboy.

This article was originally featured in Insight Magazine, subscribe for your free copy every quarter here.