Connecting via tunnel construction

As is the case with a great number of matters, not all residential construction projects are built equally. Some use precast concrete facades to speed up the build process and allow for balcony anchors to be cast in a factory setting, others might use cross-laminated timer (CLT) framework to temper the overall cost of a project. However, an option for both rigidity and accuracy across the board for your balconies is connecting via tunnel construction.

What is tunnel construction?

Tunnel construction is a framework system that allows a building contractor or developer to cast walls and concrete slabs at once as a part of a daily routine. Tunnel construction is one of the many modern methods of construction (MMC) that are now used to increase the speed of a project, the quality of the final result and the accuracy that offsite production and storage can provide.

This type of modular construction results in a type of fortified, partitioned structure that is durable enough to only require minor adjustments to finish, such as façade details or balcony connections. Once the tunnel framework has been cladded and completed with thermal detailing such as thermal breaks or a balcony StubGuard, the structure is ready to take a load.

How to connect a balcony via tunnel construction

As is the case with standard concrete slabs, tunnel construction cells can be penetrated on-site and thermally guarded to create balcony anchor points. However, due to the insitu-cast nature of tunnel cells, the balcony anchors can be cast with the concrete slab to avoid excess penetration of the slab itself. This casting insitu means that solutions such as our Glide-On anchors can be used for different balcony connection options such as the Glide-On Cassette, Remote Locker variation or even for smaller anchor connections such as the tie-rod or Sapphire’s currently-in-development ultra-low carbon balcony solution.

Connecting via tunnel construction is yet another way to connect a lightweight Sapphire balcony to your residential construction project. Allowing both the walls and concrete slab to be cast at once as a type of partitioned cell can increase the speed and quality of a project, whilst also allowing various connections with different sizes of anchor, such as Glide-On, Remote Locker, Tie-rod, or our upcoming ultra-low carbon balcony solution to be used with ease and minimal penetration.

Learn more about connecting via other types of frameworks here: