Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Registered Details is a one-off certification process proving compliance with building regulations and standards across England, Wales and Scotland. They work with manufacturers, trade bodies, professional institutions and other recognised bodies to ensure that standards are well-defined and easy to apply. Registering J & P BALCON® system under this certification process validates the building industry’s confidence in this popular and widely used solution that eanbles easily adjustable and thermally insulated steel balcony connections to concrete stuctures.
Jeremy Wedge, Head of Engineering, J&P Building Systems said:
“The balcony is an attractive feature, but in façade design it presents architects and designers with the potential for significant thermal loss from the building. We are thrilled that J & P BALCON® now has been registered with LABC and see it as a significant move forward in recognising practical solutions to tackling the problem. We started considering the thermal design of connections in 2017 when we published a whitepaper on J & P BALCON® and thermal break points, after conducting a detailed study of thermal bridging through connections. In the whitepaper we were able to identify that it is possible to engineer connection solutions to minimise the effects of heat leakage while providing an easy to install and adjustable connection system to accommodate normal site tolerances.
By developing the thermal data for the J & P BALCON®, the J&P team have been able to focus on the design of the stub and its effects on thermal bridging, offering definitive data in respect of any given profile size.
We will continually work to improve the technical credentials of our products and systems as we have always done, however, achieving LABC Registered Details status will make specifying and using our J & P BALCON® system much easier for clients.”
About J & P BALCON®
The J & P BALCON® unit is a versatile and adjustable assembly for joining metal balconies to a concrete structure. Simplicity of installation and design is the theme behind J & P BALCON®. It is strong; meaning fewer connections are required to make sufficient structural connections. It is a rigid fixing point; with no rotation, allowing the designer to focus on the supporting steel structure. Tolerances add to the toolkit of benefits provided by the system, allowing follow-on trades easy positioning and rapid connection of the balcony. At the connection points FABREEKA_TIM shims positioned between components provide excellent thermal insulation minimising leakage through the connections.
Concrete tolerances are often higher than those that can otherwise be accommodated by the balcony manufacturer. Also the poor detailing of a thermal bridge can contribute to significant heat loss through the façade. The design of the J & P BALCON® system enables concrete and architectural metal trades to work in harmony, reducing the risk of site remedial works that cost time and money, while maintaining high thermal insulation performance at the connections.