More than meets the façade: Tackling hidden balcony fire risks
Iain Hoey
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James McCallan, Co-Founder of Anamore, explores how balcony remediation is becoming a key component of compliance in high-rise residential buildings
The need for balcony remediation is becoming more and more common and we are seeing it become an intricate part of external façade remediation.
External façade or cladding remediation has become a key focus of government and homeowners with high-rise residential fires being well publicised following the tragic events at Grenfell.
Whilst the number of fires in high-rise buildings has decreased over the past decade, the need to expand and quicken the delivery of cladding remediation has never been as important.
The inquiry into Grenfell revealed huge systematic failures across the board, from regulatory failures, malpractice from material suppliers and missed opportunities for compliance by government and the private sector.
Updates to legislation and regulations in recent years have been greatly received, ensuring that there is a system in place to protect those most vulnerable – homeowners and residents.
Shifting standards
Changes to regulations including the introduction of Regulation 7(2) in 2019, have now focused attention on enhancing fire safety of buildings by using non-combustible materials for external walls and attachments, including balconies.
This has meant that alongside cladding remediation we are also remediating balconies either as part of the scope of works or as a biproduct of investigative opening works.
We are finding a lot of flammable materials have been used in balconies, such as timber decking, joists or handrails which can all become fire hazards and accelerate the spread of home fires.
Another issue we find is the coating of materials such as steel frames and fixings which have not been appropriately galvanised, or powder coated for the environment in which they are situated.
Air, water, sunshine and salt are all accelerators of corrosion making these metal components unsafe.
Design constraints
With these new regulations we have seen balcony design be significantly impacted, particularly now that laminated glass is prohibited due to its inability to meet non-combustibility criteria.
The new regulation limits design options and affects the aesthetic and functional aspects of balconies with implications for the use of laminated glass in windows for buildings over 11 meters.
Designers now need to explore alternative materials as laminated glass had always been favoured as it remained in one piece if it shattered removing the falling debris from height risk that unlaminated or toughened glass posed.
As mentioned, balcony remediation can be a result of findings when investigative opening works are being undertaken.
This work can reveal issues with the quality of workmanship or installation and where balconies have been poorly fitted back into the building structure or fittings inadequately installed, there are grounds for remediation as the integrity of the structure is jeopardised.
Regulations may prioritise the remediation of façades due to their larger surface area and higher impact on overall building safety and they also may not have been identified as being a high-risk area during the process of drawing up the initial scope of works.
Remediating balconies can be more complex and costly, especially if they require specialised materials or designs to meet new safety standards.
The balcony might be considered structurally independent from the main façade, leading to separate remediation plan for works.
Benefits of integrated remediation
Over our years of façade remediation, we have found that where it is reasonably practicable to include balcony remediation within the original scope of works, it has the most positive outcome for residents and other stakeholders involved with the project.
Balcony remediation can work in tandem with the remediation of the façade and can easily be included in the program of works and including balcony remediation with external façade remediation reduces the need to interfere with the new façade after its remediation has been completed.
At Anamore we understand that the build up to remediation works can be a stressful time for residents and the works themselves can be intrusive.
If balconies were remediated alongside façade remediation it would reduce the need for scaffolding and contractors working on their building multiple times.
Consequently, residents may feel that the work is less of an invasion of their homes and endure less disruption to space that would be used to facilitate contractors site containers and skips.
Fire compliance and building safety regulations have been changing and improving over the years.
Our industry needs to stay alert to these changes, understanding what may impact the sector in which they supply materials to or provide skilled labour.
