Sapphire balcony technology cuts construction time

Sapphire’s Glide-On™ technology has enabled smooth and timely installation of over 200 balconies at Bouygues’ Pontoon Dock development in London, helping cut the full site programme by four months.

Project challenges included combining the client’s design needs with the benefits of offsite construction and ensuring balconies fitted seamlessly with surrounding buildings. Sapphire also had to ensure balconies were appropriately drained in accordance with NHBC drainage requirements and planning conditions. Further challenges were posed by the need for tight logistical planning with scaffolding and other trades.

Sapphire’s use of offsite manufacture ensured consistency and superior quality control to an exacting specification. Selected balconies feature a unique parallelogram design and include a mix of balconies with and without soffits. The Glide-On™ Cassette® balconies were preassembled offsite, including balustrades, decking and soffits, and delivered ready for installation.

Sapphire worked with the site team to plan deliveries in synergy with the programme. Although the presence of scaffold on lower levels would have posed a problem for traditional balcony methods, Sapphire’s Counter Balance Lifter made it possible to install balconies on the upper floors while scaffold was still in use on lower levels, adapting the install to fit with the other trades and ensuring a seamless hand over.

For more information please visit www.sapphire.eu.com