Aluminium vs Concrete Balconies

What are the Benefits of Aluminium Balconies?

Lightweight – Aluminium balconies are approximately half the weight of steel which can reduce the number of brackets required to connect back to the main structure. This reduces the number of façade penetrations reducing the risk of cold bridging, damp etc. which bring both additional costs and hassle.
Offsite manufactured – avoids the hassle of coordinating multiple trades and site storage of materials as balconies are stored offsite preassembled and delivered when required.
Premium Quality – Factory controlled stage by stage quality processes ensure a premium offering.
Discreet fixings – Sapphire Cassette® balconies have been carefully engineered to avoid visible welds and keep fixings discreet. All Cassettes® come with soffits which complete the underside.
Stronger, more rigid – We have developed specialist cast-in anchors which can achieve three times the strength of common market alternatives. This means less deflection and increased rigidity, giving the best resident experience and product confidence.
Always fit – We provide templates with cast-in anchors. These avoid RC frame casting issues, so that balconies fit the first time. This way we avoid the traditional bolt-on balconies misalignment issues, which cause coordination issues and variations.

Aluminium Glide-On Balconies vs Concrete Balconies

Finishing works. Traditional finishing methods can be costly and time-consuming.
Coordinating multiple trades on site often causing confusion and delays.
Waterproofing considerations. Concrete balconies tend to be treated like a flat roof and are usually finished with a waterproof membrane.
Drainage provision. Traditional concrete balconies with upstands can trap water and form a pond.
Thermal breaks. Concrete balconies must have a continuous thermal break along all connecting edges which increases costs dramatically.
Health and safety on site. When installing traditional balconies there is the potential hazard of people working underneath a balcony to fix soffits and fascias.
Overall cost. In most cases, Sapphire’s Glide-On™ balcony system can provide a better all-round solution without a lot of the interfacing issues and costs associated with concrete balconies.
Concrete slabs must be thicker than Cassettes® in order to meet the NHBC requirement for a 150mm splashback.