How have prefabricated balconies benefited Vienna House, Vancouver?
At Sapphire Balconies, we’re passionate about innovation and sustainability. Our balcony solutions are designed to deliver quality and efficiency, streamlining balcony projects.
Our ongoing work at Vienna House in Vancouver is witnessing the integration of Sapphire’s prefabricated balconies into the project in Canada, contributing to the project’s efficiency goals. Prefab balconies, still making their way into Vancouver, were selected owing to their:
- safety
- ease of installation
- reduced impact on the construction schedule.
What benefits do our prefabricated balconies offer the development?
Vienna House is an affordable, highly sustainable housing project in Vancouver which aims to showcase innovative designs and processes, including prefabricated building components and off-site manufacturing.
We’re pleased to be supplying prefabricated balconies to the development, supporting the vision of developer BC Housing to become an example for other affordable housing projects across Vancouver.
- High Quality: Manufactured and assembled in the controlled conditions of the factory line, prefabricated balconies go through strict quality checks, ensuring a high level of quality and a lower risk of error.
- Thermal Efficiency: Our balconies are thermally broken as thermal breaks are already built into the balcony anchor points, minimising heat loss. Moreover, the aluminum construction of our balconies makes them lightweight, reducing the number of extra brackets required to connect to the building structure.
- Improved Project Speed: By requiring fewer on-site trades, prefabricated balconies significantly reduce project delays and labour time.
- No On-Site Storage Required: Pre-finished balconies are delivered to the site ready for installation – a major benefit for developments in busy locations that have limited storage space.
- Faster Installation Time: Our balconies are pre-finished and delivered to the site ready to be installed, reducing balcony installation and project time.
“The Sapphire balconies check a lot of boxes on the goals in the Vienna House project charter. They are durable and support resilience by providing passive shading, and they improve quality of life for residents.” – John Wall, principal and co-founder of Public Architecture.
Transport House
See how Sapphire has excelled with prefabricated balconies in the past at Transport House.
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Read morePrefabricated Balconies in Canada: How do Sapphire’s balconies maximize thermal efficiency?
Considering how disruptive low temperatures and extreme weather can be across Canada, the thermal performance of buildings should be considered from concept to completion.
Based on the climate conditions across Canada, building codes and region-specific standards like the Toronto Green Standard should be met.
- The difference between a balcony by Sapphire and a traditional concrete slab is that Sapphire includes a thermal break in the balcony at the design stage.
- Sapphire maximizes thermal efficiency whilst maintaining a rigid structure within the balconies by incorporating thermal breaks in tactical locations – these can be located between the floors and ceilings of apartments, acting as an extra layer of insulation around the balcony arms.
- The insulation materials we use to form the thermal break help insulate the small area in question. Architects should consider using high-quality insulation for floors and ceilings, too.
How are Prefabricated Balconies contributing to sustainability at Vienna House?
With the aim to lower the development’s carbon emissions and energy consumption, Vienna House is being designed using sustainable practices and components. From prefabricated and off-site manufacturing to innovative designs, Vienna House will showcase various sustainable construction examples.
- Easy to Transport: Our aluminum Cassette® balcony decks are much lighter than a concrete alternative, making them more efficient to transport and install, reducing transport emissions. The balcony materials have a 19% reduction in embodied carbon when compared with concrete balconies.
- Enhanced Building Efficiency: Prefabricated balconies need only a couple of small connections to secure them in place, keeping the thermal barrier of the building intact. This reduces the risk of cold bridging and makes the building energy-efficient for occupants.
- Recyclable: Thanks to the Glide-On technology, balconies can be easily removed at the end of their lifespan, then disassembled and sent for recycling.
At Sapphire, we are dedicated to innovating in construction for the specific requirements of clients and projects. We work with clients to deliver safe and sustainable balconies for residents. If you have a project in mind and wish to discuss it, start a conversation about Prefabricated Balconies in Canada with us: www.balconies.global/contact-us/
Discover how our Prefabricated Balconies in Canada have saved on carbon emissions, time, and money in our case studies here.
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