Balcony balustrades by Sapphire showcase riverside views at The Wharf

Balconies and terraces with framed glass balcony balustrades by Sapphire take full advantage of the stunning riverside setting of The Wharf, a mixed tenure residential development beside London’s River Lea. The design of the four apartment buildings draws inspiration from the site’s historical heritage as a working wharf, including timber-decked balconies offering picturesque riverside views.

The Wharf boasts a prime location, surrounded by scenic river paths and open grassland, yet just minutes from central London. Incorporating private balconies maximises the sales appeal of the stylish collection of one and two bedroom homes. As well as helping to make a compact living area more light and airy, balconies give residents instant access to their own private outdoor space, which is often limited in modern high rise apartments.

All balcony balustrades for the project were designed, manufactured and installed by Sapphire to high quality standards to retain their added value appeal for many years to come.

Sapphire provided 1,100 linear metres of glazed balcony balustrades to around 120 balconies, both projecting and Juliette, and rooftop terraces at The Wharf. The projecting balconies form an integrated part of each buildings’ structure, with balustrades fixed into the concrete deck with resin anchors. The use of clear toughened glass infill panels provides the perfect balance of light, visibility and safety, whilst also being low maintenance.

The glazed panels are combined with flat baluster uprights, manufactured by Sapphire in hot zinc protected mild steel with a polyester powder coating to resist corrosion. Balusters were specified in a Dark Grey finish to match window frames and doors, creating a coordinated look to the façade. The contemporary styling of the balcony balustrades is enhanced by tubular handrails in satin-polished stainless steel. As part of a complete balcony balustrade package, Sapphire also supplied opaque glass privacy screens between apartment balconies.

In addition to satisfying an exacting aesthetic specification, all balcony balustrades for The Wharf were designed by Sapphire to comply with relevant standards for structural performance and design loads. Additionally, balustrades had to satisfy specific safety regulations relating to residential applications, such as suitability for children, which ensures that balustrades are not easily climbable and have no gaps of more than 100mm, to prevent a small child falling through.

Sapphire Balustrades’ Marketing Manager, Nick Haughton, comments: “At Sapphire we offer the whole package, working with you from the initial design stage of your balcony project all the way through to manufacturing, installation and aftercare. Offering unrivalled personal service and support, and with experience gained over two decades, it’s not surprising that Sapphire has worked on projects for the majority of the UK’s top contractors and developers.”