Sapphire’s innovative offsite balcony system with glide-on connectors has enabled all 20 balconies for one of the new apartment buildings at North London’s Woodberry Down to be delivered and installed in a single day. Sapphire’s client, Berkeley Homes, was doubtful this could be achieved until it actually unfolded in front of them. “I even lost a bet thinking that it wasn’t possible!” says the Site Manager for Berkeley Homes. Balconies were manufactured offsite in Sapphire’s production facility while connections were being completed. With the building prepared the pre-assembled balcony units, complete with glass balustrades and sub-deck, were transported to site ready for fixing to the façade using the system’s innovative connectors. Sapphire’s fast-track solution saved the housebuilder time, labour and crane hire charges. Once again, Sapphire’s glide-on system has allowed record-breaking balcony installation speeds, says Sapphire’s Marketing Manager, Nick Haughton: “As soon as our team got up and running they were able to unload and install a lorry-load of six balcony units in just under an hour.” In addition, Sapphire designed special first-fix bracketry to suit the apartment building’s timber frame construction.
Aimed specifically at the high-rise housebuilding sector, Sapphire’s patent-protected glide-on balcony system makes it simpler, faster and more cost-effective to provide high quality balconies for residential projects like Woodberry Down. Manufacturing and assembling apartment balconies in its factory allows Sapphire to maintain a high degree of quality control. In addition, Sapphire’s offsite solution helps minimise site time and associated costs, such as scaffolding and crane hire, and product quality is kept consistently high compared with completing more of the work on site.
Balconies for the apartments at Woodberry Down incorporate glazed balustrades from Sapphire’s Crystal range. The structural glass panels are combined with a stainless steel top rail which enhances the minimalist appearance whilst offering high corrosion resistance. Being a frameless balustrade system, Crystal requires no vertical support posts so residents can enjoy clear views over the capital.
In addition to this phase of Woodberry Down, Sapphire has also manufactured and installed over 150 glide-on balconies for Skyline, the development’s 30-storey residential tower. Once all phases are completed Woodberry Down will deliver around 5,500 new homes, situated alongside reservoirs and open spaces and yet just a short distance from Central London and the City.
For more information, please visit www.sapphirebalustrades.com
