Sapphire has been supplying and installing balconies for many years and has amassed a large amount of knowledge and experience in effective balcony solutions to increasing demand for improved thermal performance, off-site prefabrication and reduced structural loadings which are key needs in the North American markets, particularly Canada.
As part of their global expansion plans, they have been studying the very different climate experienced in North America ( in particular Canada) and have elected to undergo a series of independent testing to demonstrate to Canadian architects and structural engineers the effects of the North American winters on the balcony structures provided by Sapphire.
This Whitepaper summarizes an experimental program undertaken by Sapphire and their development partners to assess the balcony system response to snow and ice accumulation – two phenomena that must be expected during Canadian winters. While the tests were not exhaustive, Sapphire has assessed the results and has concluded that the cold weather performance of the system is satisfactory, but would be very happy to engage with further inquiries and discussion with industry bodies as appropriate.
This study was commissioned to fill in some knowledge gaps, specifically to:
What’s included in the Barrier Height whitepaper? In an era where balcony safety and usability are under sharper scrutiny,…
