Glass Balustrades for Public Areas

Cost effective Glass Balustrades for public areas

Balconette offers highly aesthetic and extremely cost effective glass balustrades for public areas and for areas susceptible to overcrowding. We believe we offer the most cost effective solution for a Glass Balustrade, for areas where a 1.5kN loading is required and recommend the highly aesthetic Aerofoil system which meets all requirements while creating a stunning result. If you have a requirement for balustrades in public areas, retail areas, restaurants please click here to contact us for a quotation.

More information below on both our Aerofoil and Orbit systems for use in public areas:

Increased loads

The requirement by British standards for external balconies in these sort of locations is to withstand a 0.74 kN force per linear metre. This is approximately equal to 75kg of force on the handrail every metre, or could be translated to for example to one fully grown adult on every metre of balustrade with an average weight of 75Kg placing their entire body weight against the handrail. Here at Balconette we have manufactured and supplied thousands of metres of glass balustrades.  The majority of these balustrades have been destined for private residential use, whether this is a single family dwelling, a hotel room, private balcony or Juliet balcony. 

Many requests have come to us here to supply our system for areas with public usages and areas where persons can congregate. The problem with this was that in the public sector the loads are increased and are infact doubled that of the residential sector (this is not including shopping malls, discotheques and similar where the loads are quadrupled). 

Glass Balustrades that meet 1.5kN loads 

So the challenge was to meet these loads without having to make the system require a post every metre or have to change significantly. Balconette's balustrades have been designed and tested to meet the residential loadings and achieve a great result with a relatively small number of vertical posts required. This has been the great appeal of the system, the small amount of posts required, no corner posts and glass from handrail to bottom rail without the need for ugly clamps or glass fixings. 

After overcoming all the technical issues and design work Balconette have been able to modify the Orbit and Aerofoil systems using new high tensile strength posts that will meet the public level loads of 1.5 kN per linear metre and if using the Aerofoil system, it can run a full 3.4 metres without the need for posts, when posts are required, it will still allow a span of 2.0m between posts! 

This creates a great advantage over existing systems which to meet this loading factor use a post every metre. This advantage is due both to the enhanced strength of the new type of post and also the immense strength of the handrail.

Summary

If you require highly aesthetic, strong, durable and cost effective glass balustrades that are suitable for public buildings look no further. Now available with our proprietary Royal Chrome finish on the system you can achieve a durable and beautiful system that is just like stainless steel but without the associated problems of stainless, plus have it meet public area standards. 

Please click here to contact us for a quotation.