Sapphire’s balconies complement unique character of London’s ‘Macaulay Walk’ redevelopment
A showcase of stylish Sapphire balustrades and Bolt-On steel balconies complement the apartment façade design, and the unique character of a stunning new residential and commercial development in south west London. Macaulay Walk in Macaulay Road, Clapham Old Town is a redevelopment of a sensitive blend of historic converted buildings and contemporary additions.
Sapphire’s package for the project includes 66 pre-glazed bolt-on balconies and 100 linear metres of glass balustrading for external walkways, all of which were manufactured offsite by Sapphire and delivered as pre-assembled units ready for fast track installation on site. In addition, Sapphire provided glazed terrace balustrades, opaque glass screening between balconies and to conceal plant on the residential roof terrace, as well as complementary internal glass balustrading to galleries in the development’s duplex apartments. All of these products, especially the balconies complement the façade design intent and bring out the intended character.
The offsite manufacture of balcony units and balustrades in Sapphire’s dedicated quality-assured production facilities means that site time and associated costs, such as scaffolding hire, are minimised and product quality is kept consistently high compared with completing more of the work on site. Steel-frame bolt-on balconies for apartments at the Macaulay Walk redevelopment were supplied to site as complete units with hardwood sub-deck and balustrades based on Sapphire’s Crystal frameless, structural glass system.
Sapphire’s Crystal system is combined with a powder-coated aluminium capping to provide an attractive and durable solution for 300 linear metres of terrace balustrading at Macaulay Walk. A point-fixed bracket fixing was specially designed by Sapphire to enable balustrading to be installed before terrace decks were waterproofed. Using this bespoke fixing solution gave Sapphire greater flexibility in dealing with the different floor build-ups and therefore assisted in better project planning and sequencing.
Sapphire’s pre-fabrication expertise was also utilised for Crystal frameless glass balustrades to a series of bridge links, which provide pedestrian walkways between the various buildings that make up Macaulay Walk. Glazed balustrades were manufactured in factory production line conditions, then delivered to site in 10 metre sections ready to be craned into place and assembled on to the link bridges by Sapphire.
Ensuring continuity both inside and out, Sapphire’s Crystal system was used for internal balustrades in Macaulay Walk’s duplex apartments. A total of 30 linear metres of frameless glass balustrading was manufactured and installed by Sapphire to gallery areas, enhancing the apartments’ light and airy interiors.
Macaulay Walk is just one of the residential projects to choose Sapphire’s pre-fabricated balconies and balustrades, which are aimed specifically at the high-rise housebuilding sector. The fact that this is the second project in a row where this particular site team has chosen to work with Sapphire is clearly a demonstration of the company’s expertise and high service levels, says Head of Marketing, Nick Haughton. He comments: “Sapphire’s offsite manufactured solutions, which combine the benefits of pre-fabricated units with fast installation using innovative connectors, now make it simpler, faster and more cost-effective to provide high quality balconies for residential projects. Our new offsite Glide-On balconies, for example, have already proved to save time and cost on prime residential projects, which is resulting in repeat orders from satisfied clients.”
Macaulay Walk Redevelopment was the last project where Sapphire used traditional bolt-on balconies given the advancements in Glide-On technology making them faster, safer and more cost effective than steel Bolt-On balconies see here.
