Thermal Breaks

Balcony Connections: thermal breaks

Whilst the thermal values which need to be achieved apply to the whole building, not isolated components, to meet Part L regulations, and the requirements of other standards, balcony connections must have thermal breaks to stop cold bridging occurring at these junctions.

Firstly, consideration must be made of the number of anchors which are being used. Quite simply, the more points the facade is penetrated the more potential areas of thermal bridging.

Choosing an anchor which has very good thermal performance, but poor structural performance is likely to not only cost more but not provide the thermal benefit of having a similar performing thermal anchor which enable fewer connections to be used.

The Cassette® balcony system is considerably lighter in weight, (primarily because of its aluminium construction) and the anchors used are considerably stronger than other options available which both mean that the number of anchor connections required can be reduced, saving cost and minimising cold bridging.

Another consideration is the post-Grenfell combustible cladding ban which prohibits the use of any combustible material on the exterior of buildings over 18 metres. As a solution, we are happy to offer the Sapphire StubGuard™ as an option on your project. For more details get in touch.

Recommendations:

Consult Sapphire as we have experience of many proprietary systems and have conducted our own research and testing, so you don’t have to spend time and money inventing a thermal break solution from scratch. We can work with you to design and build beautiful balconies that are both structurally and thermally efficient.