Following the tragic events at Grenfell, the Government has published regulations banning the use of combustible materials in external walls of high rise buildings and confirmed this now includes balconies.
It is now mandatory that balconies located within 1m of a relevant boundary or situated more than 18m above ground level must have non combustible decking. The new regulations came into force on 21 December 2018. The regulations do not apply where an initial notice has been given to, or full plans deposited with, a local authority before that date.
Yes. Sapphire is working with MyDek who have developed a ribbed aluminium decking in a range of finishes which carries a Class A classification.
Following extensive research by Sapphire at the Exova test centre in Warrington, we discovered that a suitable soffit to balconies offers a substantial contribution to limiting the spread of fire on domestic balconies, for a number of reasons including;
a) Limiting the supply of oxygen feeding the fire from below.
b) Preventing burning debris from falling from the burning balcony.
c) Reflecting and deflecting the heat rising from the fire, and thus preventing it reaching the balcony above.
d) Deflecting jetting flame from an apartment fire away from the building.
Yes. Sapphire use a material of limited combustibility in their thermal break. The product is generally located just above the fire barrier and encapsulated between steel plates, so the possible exposure is extremely low. The revision to AD B confirms this meets the requirements of the regulation.
https://youtu.be/Av9bJCHoKzASapphire offers two CPDs on fire safety for balconies.Explore the cladding ban and its effects on balcony design.Is Laminate Glass a safety risk or a safety benefit?
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