Recent Ban on Laminated Glass

Statement on recent Ban on Laminated Glass

• For many years toughened glass has been the material of choice for quality balustrades, however it does pose significant safety risks if broken due to the lack of integrity of the remaining balustrade and the dangers of falling particles.
• For over 20 years, Sapphire has been at the forefront of the industry change to specify laminated (double layer) rather than monolithic (single layer) glass as this significantly reduces these risks.
• The recent legislative changes to the building regulations AD B has effectively banned the use of laminated glass in balustrades due to it containing a small amount of flammable material in the interlayer, however it still permits its use in the adjacent windows.
• Sapphire, along with many other industry leaders, feel this ban was inadvertent and the risk of fire spread from the interlayer is minimal compared with the risks of reverting to monolithic glass and have been actively lobbying those responsible.
• Thankfully, the government department responsible (MHCLG) has now commissioned a working group to review the wording of the new regulation and its overall impact on building safety, and to propose alternatives by end July.
• Sapphires technical director Andrew Parsons has been selected to contribute to this consultation and we will use this forum and the upcoming BS5479 draft to update the industry as soon as further clarity emerges.

Laminate Glass Interlayer: Ban or Not?
Please URGENTLY fill out the below survey to enable us to lobby the government for clarity on laminate glass.

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