When it comes to specifying balcony flooring, compliance with building and fire regulations is essential.
We’ve discussed a range of important balcony flooring regulations, but as we head into the new year, it’s important to get refreshed.
In this blog, we’re highlighting some dos and don’ts that should make your balcony flooring projects the best they can be.
Metal decking might seem like an obvious choice when it comes to specifying for fire safety on an upcoming balcony flooring project, but it’s not always that simple.
With the new year around the corner, you might already be thinking ahead to 2022 and your next projects. But what was on trend previously, might not be what the 2022 customer has in mind.
Despite the most recent updates to the building and fire regulations having been in place since 2018, it’s still important to highlight them and understand what they are, why they were introduced and what it means for your future projects.
Does it feel like you’re always answering questions about what the best balcony flooring options are?
While it’s common for specifiers and architects to have their ‘go to’ options - materials that really provide the best possible finish on their projects, there are countless others available.
As you are well aware, the use of Class A rated materials is essential on any specified attachments on the external walls of a building over 18 metres in height.
However, it’s also important to consider other health and safety factors to make sure your installation is as safe as it can be. One of these is making sure that the flooring used is also slip-resistant and that it meets the standards expected of certain HSE guidelines.
This means that when you’re choosing material for your next project, as well as making sure it is non-combustible, you should consider materials and coatings that are slip-resistant.
In this blog, we’ll highlight certain HSE regulations that you should consider as well as the materials that offer these levels of protection, making sure you’re next flooring project is as safe as it can be.
From keeping your environment safe to retaining your fire certification, in this article, we discuss the benefits of a non-slip powder coating for your decking made from aluminium. With combustible materials now deemed unsafe for use on the external elements of a building above 18 metres...
If you’re a specifier looking for decking that looks like timber but that needs to achieve a Class A fire rating, either for a high-rise building’s balcony or terrace, then you might be struggling for choice.
Building regulations in the UK mandate that only non-combustible materials are to be used on residential buildings above 18m. As this includes balconies and other specified attachments, external flooring must therefore achieve a fire rating for Class A1 or A2.
A1 materials are completely non-combustible whereas A2 materials have limited combustibility. Both types are considered non-combustible and are permitted on external applications on buildings of any height.
Although you might not be able to specify timber or composite decking, there is now another option available to you other than aluminium decking.
With fire safety standards and building regulations constantly changing and updating, helping to increase the safety of high-rise buildings, it can be difficult for specifiers and architects to find balcony flooring options that are both attractive and class A-rated.
What’s more, with uncertainty surrounding legislation and whether the 18-metre height requirement will be reduced to 11-metres or lower, Class A-rated materials are becoming more common on all projects, as a means of best practice for the industry.
With this in mind, this blog helps you discover the variety of Class-A rated balcony flooring options available on the market.
Read on to find out more.
Ever since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, the construction industry has been working towards creating products that are safe and entirely non-combustible.
This is particularly important for high-rise projects where the potential consequences of constructing with combustible materials can be far more serious.
With that in mind, new regulations and government legislation have been slowly introduced in the subsequent years following Grenfell. With this reform finally starting to be seen throughout the entire construction industry, particularly when it comes to balcony flooring, it’s only a matter of time before your next project has to be specified to these standards.