Glide-On variation: Tie-rod design

What is a tie-rod? Tie-rod design is the process of attaching supporting metal rods between the balcony and façade to secure the Cassette in place. Simplicity is key – great benefits can be found in a simple tie-rod design.

Keeping things simple is a joy. The simplicity of a good book, an early night’s rest or a hot bath are some of the most often reported joys in our personal lives. This simple delight can and should be extended to our professional lives – if satisfaction can be found in construction, it will be found in tie-rod design.

Tie-rods are a smart method of connecting a balcony Cassette® to the building’s façade. By using tie-rods between the far-projecting corners of the balcony and the building, the overall force on the balcony anchors can be reduced as well as increased thermal protection.

Connections for tie-rods

Beyond just reducing force on the balcony anchor, the tie-rod design is versatile in that it can be connected to just about any type of façade. Early consultation is key here – Anchors would normally need to be considered well in advance of a series of balconies being designed, let alone installed, as they would need either casting at the same time as the slabs between floors or would need casting into a precast façade.

Tie-rod anchors are smaller by design as the force is carried mostly by the tie-wire connection to the building itself. These smaller connections can easily be fixed through small penetrations into the slab, the building’s façade at balustrade level or even set into a balcony above.

Tie-rod anchors

As previously mentioned, a smaller anchor is needed for a tie-rod design due to most of the moment of the balcony being taken by the tie-rod itself. Due to the smaller anchors, less penetration is needed into the façade. With less penetration comes less risk of thermal bridging, making tie-rod anchors a very sensible choice from a thermal perspective.

Utilising the thermal bridging-averse properties of smaller anchors is excellent for colder or even more moderate climates like Northern Europe or Canada. This makes for a future-proofed and sustainable solution for each area.

Designing the costs out of balconies is crucial for your project – a simplified design can reduce labour costs, improve production efficiency and reduce material waste. Cost reduction through tie-rod design does not mean you have to sacrifice the features that are important in order to hit budgets. Find out more by downloading our whitepaper:

Beaumont Court & Richmond House – Case study

We’re no stranger to using tie-rods as a simple yet elegant solution for our balconies. One project that we are proud to have used a tie-rod design on was Beaumont Court and Richmond House – a renovation of an existing building, meaning anchors could not be cast into the slab. Our dedicated design team made the intelligent decision to use tie-rods to connect to an already existing façade, achieving a high level of rigidity without needing to know the exact strength of the existing floor.

Simplicity is key. By allowing connections to many parts of a façade, to pre-existing facades or by reducing the risk of thermal bridging, your project can be simple. Why not get in touch with us today to find out how Sapphire can streamline your development: