A History of Laminated Glass: Safety, Setbacks & What’s Next?
If you’re designing a balcony on a mid- or high-rise building In the UK or Ireland, you’ve likely asked: Is laminated glass a safe and permissible option for balustrading, especially when used at height?
Sadly, balustrade glass failures with monolithic glass have had tragic consequences, and fire safety regulations have added extra complexity around what materials are allowed.
We have spent a considerable amount of time campaigning for the addition of laminated glass to the material exemptions list due to its post breakage behaviour, meaning it is safer to use at height than monolithic glass. In the absence of toughened laminated glass, other railing systems which meet A2 s1d0 at handover have, time and again, been furnished with highly combustible wind and privacy products.
In this article, we’ll walk through how laminated glass became popular, why it was banned, the safety concerns that led to change, and what the latest MHCLG Funded research says about its potential comeback. You’ll get a clear picture of the risks, benefits, and alternatives so you can make an informed decision for your project.
2011: The Rise of Laminated Glass
In the early part of the 2010s, laminated glass became popular as a balustrade option due to a cost saving benefit (not requiring structural handrails to comply with a requirement for two forms of guarding) and its aesthetic appeal.
In 2011, BS6180 was updated as a means of allowing laminated glass to be used to fulfil clause 6.8.2, which requires there to be two forms of guarding on a balcony balustrade. Having two forms of guarding means that in the case of a spontaneous fracture of the glass, the balustrade remains intact and reduces the risk of a person falling through the balustrading.
This revision meant that a structural handrail no longer needed to be used because the two panes of laminated glass could achieve requirement in clause 6.8.2, as the second form of guarding could take the required load.
2013-18: The Market Moves Away from Monolithic Glass
Before 2014, monolithic glass was by far the most common glass balustrading option. After a shift in marketplace opinion on monolithic glass, by 2018, all reputable companies had stopped using monolithic glass and viewed laminated glass as the only safe glass option.
Furthermore, both the 2015 version of the CDM regulations and the additional changes made to both the 2013 and 2018 versions of Regulation 7 of the Approved Documents reinforced the need for designers to consider the performance, operation and maintenance of construction products during the occupation of a building.
2012: Tragedy in Sheffield
In 2012, tragedy struck in Sheffield, where South Yorkshire Police reported that a child had fallen through a gap in a balcony balustrade, resulting in their death.
The broken glass panel had been made of monolithic glass, which shatters when broken, and as the glass hadn’t been replaced quickly enough, a gap remained in the balcony. If laminated glass had been used, a protective barrier would have remained and could have prevented a child from falling through an unprotected gap.
This was a wakeup call for the construction industry, further reinforcing the need to switch to laminated glass as a safety consideration.
This was even further reinforced after a second incident where a child fell through a monolithic glass balustrade. Luckily, the child survived the fall, but the risks of using monolithic glass had become clear in this short space of time.
2018 – The Ban on Laminated Glass
After the announcement of the ban on combustible materials and the subsequent publication of the exemption list of the 28th of November 2018, laminated glass was inadvertently banned on balconies after not being specifically exempt on the material exemptions list, though it was exempted for windows. For the past seven years it has not been able to be used as a balcony balustrade material, nor as a material on new developments over 11m since 2022.
2018-25: Laminated Glass research
Between 2018 and 2025, research funded by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) examined the various properties of laminated glass with the aim of understanding if it contributes to the spread of fire.
Sapphire Balconies was involved with conducting this research at various stages, most notably at the balcony fire tests at Efectis in Northern Ireland.
2025: The Potential Return of Laminated Glass
In 2025, the research was made public when The Institution of Fire Engineers hosted an hour-long event where they revealed the outcome of large-scale balcony fire tests conducted at the Efectis laboratory in Northern Ireland. Whilst the process has been drawn-out, the acknowledgement that these results point toward an environment in which the seven-year ban on laminated glass could be lifted is exciting.
The research was conclusive in demonstrating that laminated glass used in balcony scenarios was unlikely to add fire load of any significance and therefore unlikely to present a risk.
In conversations between Sapphire and the Head of Policy at HSE (the Building Safety Regulator / BSR), the BSR confirmed that they had the outcome report from this research and are looking to consult with the industry in Autumn 2025. At the same time, they will be consulting with the industry about potential changes to Approved Document B.
Source: https://www.ife.org.uk/Home/Events-and-resources/Events/Event-Details/eventDateID/1089
Laminated glass could be making a comeback very soon. Thanks to safety, cost, wind mitigation, design possibilities and privacy benefits, it could be the balcony balustrade material for your next development.
Make sure you’re aware of the extended benefits of laminated glass. Stay updated by requesting our whitepaper, written on request from UKs Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: https://balconies.global/knowledge/fire-safety/laminate-whitepaper/
