Nantly House

Alongside Willmott Partnership Homes and the London Borough of Hounslow, we supplied Glide-On™ balconies with a vertical bar balustrade system at Nantly House. The balconies were installed by Sapphire accredited installers, Dantaag. This new residential development in the up-and-coming London suburb was part of the council’s broader initiative to provide high-quality affordable housing and release value from the area’s land assets. Our robust, attractive balconies complemented this goal, adding a distinctive feature and outside space that makes Nantly House a highly desirable place to live.

The Wider Project

This development was a joint venture with the local council’s subsidiary Lampton 360. They aimed to build 844 new homes at 11 sites with a mix of tenures, comprising 40% affordable housing, 40% open market sale and 20% for the private rental market. This was part of the council’s target to deliver 7,200 new homes in the Hounslow and Feltham area by 2026, increasing the area’s affordable housing stock with a focus on quality.

Lampton 360 and Willmott Partnership Homes are looking to deliver 1,500 of these 7,200 homes over the six-year period, a contract worth £90 million. The partnership with Willmott helped the council accelerate the delivery of the project, generating revenue and adding value to the land.

Nantly House

Nantly House was the first of these developments. Located on Lampton Road on the site of a former children’s support centre, the development consists of 75 new homes and ground floor commercial space. Alongside landscape features and a striking brickwork design, the development is a new landmark building that beautifies the busy intersection.

As a result of their expertise, Willmott Partnership Homes contracted Sapphire to design and supply the development’s feature balconies. In discussion with the architect and project leads, we designed a bespoke vertical bar balustrade sequence based on Pi that complemented the other architectural features and gave residents extra privacy.

The Challenge

A key challenge in this project was complying with the planning requirements. In order to meet these requirements, the balcony balustrade needed to be designed to provide sufficient privacy for residents. Equally, planning limited the building height, so the design team had to devise a solution to maximise space.

Space on site was also limited, making offsite manufacture essential to keeping the project programme on track. Our brand promise guaranteed that all balconies would be produced ahead of the agreed date and securely stored ready to be called to site when needed.

The Solution

To address the planner’s concerns, we designed balconies with privacy panels on both sides, so residents have more privacy from certain directions. We designed the unique vertical bar balustrades to include a rotation sequence based on Pi to improve resident privacy. Other key features include kick plates and sloped rails that stop objects from falling onto paths or balconies below.

The project had particularly tight tolerances, which would have been a significant challenge with traditional balcony methods. Glide-On™ balconies offer much larger tolerances and allow for adjustments on-site ensuring an easy install.

Interaction with various stakeholders was also a key part of this project. Sapphire was available and fully involved in the design process, working closely with consultants and structural engineers. We also participated in presentations with the NHBC to assure them about water management and drainage solutions within the balcony Cassette®.

Installation Process

Step 1: Cast in anchors were cast into the slab & incorporated thermal break connections offering superior rigidity to the balconies.

Step 2: Cassette® balconies were preassembled offsite, including the balustrades, decking & soffits.

Step 3: Cassette® balconies were transported with balconies ‘nested’ onto each pallet making transport both cost effective & safe. Balconies were pre-slung offsite ready for installation upon arrival.

Step 4: Once lifted into position, the Cassettes® simply Glide-On™ to the pre-erected support arms, before completing the simple mechanical fixings.

The Results

The result is an interesting architectural feature for this exciting new residential development. Indeed, Nantly House has rejuvenated the area on Lampton Road, creating well-built, attractive and affordable housing for Hounslow residents. Through working closely with Willmott, Dantaag and the London Borough of Hounslow, we were able to add a highly desirable feature to affordable homes, enhancing the quality of living and unlocking the area’s land value.