BALUSTRADE

Abstract

A balustrade arrangement according to this disclosure comprises a plurality of slats of monolithic toughened glass arranged in series substantially along a lateral direction. The slats each have a width in the lateral direction up to 300 mm from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of a slat. Adjacent slats are spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap of at least 6 mm, the spacing gap being smaller than the width of the slats. The slats are arranged so that, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap in the lateral direction is at most 500 mm. Also disclosed is a balcony incorporating such a balustrade and a method for the installation of such a balustrade.

Claims

1. A balustrade arrangement comprising a plurality of slats of monolithic toughened glass arranged in series substantially along a lateral direction, the slats each having a width in the lateral direction up to 300 mm from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of a slat, adjacent slats being spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap of at least 6 mm, the spacing gap being smaller than the width of the slats, the slats being arranged so that, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap in the lateral direction is at most 500 mm.

2. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the slats have no enclosed holes formed through them.

3. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the slats are fixed in position via clamping means, the clamping means comprising bolts extending through the spacing gaps between adjacent slats.

4. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 1 where there are provided two or more rows of slats in the balustrade, the rows being offset from each other to be staggered in the forwards and rearwards direction.

5. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 4 wherein the slats at least partially overlap with each other, so that when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap, when viewed in elevation, is less than the slat width.

6. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 1 wherein a linear occupation ratio of the glass slats in the width direction of the balustrade, when the balustrade is viewed in elevation view, is not less than about 50% of the width of the balustrade.

7. The balustrade arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the balustrade has a hand rail formed at its upper extremity, the glass slats supporting the hand rail without additional support.

8. A balcony incorporating a balustrade, wherein the balustrade comprises a plurality of slats of monolithic toughened glass arranged in series substantially along a lateral direction, the slats each having a width in the lateral direction up to 300 mm from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of a slat, adjacent slats being spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap of at least 6 mm, the spacing gap being smaller than the width of the slats, the slats being arranged so that, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap in the lateral direction is at most 500 mm.

9. The balcony according to claim 8, further comprising a fascia arrangement, the fascia including an angled lip region, disposed to catch broken glass that would otherwise fall from the balcony from a broken slat.

10. A method for the installation of a balustrade, wherein the balustrade comprises a plurality of slats of monolithic toughened glass arranged in series substantially along a lateral direction, the slats each having a width in the lateral direction up to 300 mm from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of a slat, adjacent slats being spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap of at least 6 mm, the spacing gap being smaller than the width of the slats, the slats being arranged so that, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap in the lateral direction is at most 500 mm, and wherein the glass slats are supported and clamped at their lower end using a clamping arrangement.

11. The balcony according to claim 8 wherein the slats have no enclosed holes formed through them.

12. The balcony according to claim 8 wherein the slats are fixed in position via clamping means, the clamping means comprising bolts extending through the spacing gaps between adjacent slats.

13. The balcony according to claim 8 where there are provided two or more rows of slats in the balustrade, the rows being offset from each other to be staggered in the forwards and rearwards direction.

14. The balcony according to claim 13 wherein the slats at least partially overlap with each other, so that when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap, when viewed in elevation, is less than the slat width.

15. The balcony according to claim 8 wherein a linear occupation ratio of the glass slats in the width direction of the balustrade, when the balustrade is viewed in elevation view, is not less than about 50% of the width of the balustrade.

16. The balcony according to claim 8 wherein the balustrade has a hand rail formed at its upper extremity, the glass slats supporting the hand rail without additional support.

17. The method according to claim 10 wherein the slats have no enclosed holes formed through them.

18. The method according to claim 10 wherein the clamping arrangement comprises bolts extending through the spacing gaps between adjacent slats.

19. The method according to claim 10 where there are provided two or more rows of slats in the balustrade, the rows being offset from each other to be staggered in the forwards and rearwards direction.

20. The method according to claim 10 wherein the slats at least partially overlap with each other, so that when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width of the breakage gap, when viewed in elevation, is less than the slat width.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Embodiments illustrating the principles of the invention will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a balcony incorporating a balustrade according to an embodiment of the invention, the balcony attached to a building.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the balcony of FIG. 1, viewed from below.

[0033] FIG. 3 shows the balcony of FIG. 1, viewed from the front.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows the balcony of FIG. 1, viewed from the side.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows the balcony of FIG. 1, viewed from inside the building.

[0036] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a monolithic toughened glass slat.

[0037] FIG. 7 shows a schematic elevation view of part of a balustrade according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows the part of the balustrade of FIG. 7 in sectional plan view.

[0039] FIG. 9 shows a schematic side view of a balcony incorporating a balustrade according to an embodiment of the invention, including detail of the handrail and the attachment of the slats with respect to the balcony.

[0040] FIG. 10 shows a partial sectional view of the balcony and balustrade of FIG. 9.

[0041] FIG. 11 shows a schematic sectional plan view of a balustrade according to another embodiment of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 12 shows a schematic elevation view of part of a balustrade according to another embodiment of the invention, similar to FIG. 11.

[0043] FIG. 13 shows the part or the balustrade of FIG. 12 in sectional plan view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0044] Aspects and embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures. Further aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All documents mentioned in this text are incorporated herein by reference.

[0045] FIGS. 1 to 5 show schematic views of a balcony 100 incorporating a balustrade 102 according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein the balcony 100 is attached to a building 104. As is conventional, the balcony 100 is attached to the building 104 in register with a window 108 and/or door 108 of the building, allowing an occupant of the building access to the balcony.

[0046] The balcony 100 is typically attached to the concrete slab of a floor of the building, for example using cast-in anchors, with attached stubs/arms. These features are not shown in the drawings because these features are not visible during normal use of the balcony. In preferred embodiments, the balcony may be provided in the form of a cassette that slides on to stubs/arms projecting from the building. The balcony has decking 110, soffits 112 below and fascia 114, 116, 118 at the front and sides.

[0047] Balustrade 102 extends around the perimeter of the balcony and defines the usable space on the balcony for the occupier. Typically, the balustrade is fixed to the balcony by fixings that are hidden from sight by the fascia 114, 116, 118.

[0048] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1-5, the balustrade is formed from a series of monolithic toughened glass slats 120 (seen best in FIG. 5), arranged in a lateral direction (corresponding to the general direction of extension of the balustrade). The slats each have a width W in the lateral direction up to 300 mm from a first lateral side to a second lateral side of a slat. Adjacent slats are spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap G of at least 6 mm. Spacing gap G is smaller than the width W of the slats. As can be seen, the slats 120 are arranged so that, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width B of the breakage gap in the lateral direction is at most 500 mm. In this embodiment, the slat width W is about 100 mm, spacing gap G is about 10 mm and therefore breakage gap B is about 120 mm. Provided that only one slat is broken, therefore the gap in the balustrade is suitably narrow to mean that there is only a low risk or falling through the balustrade.

[0049] A handrail 130 is provided at the top of the balustrade. This is in the form of an aluminium cap that serves to connect the tops of the glass slats. In the event of breakage of one of the slats, the handrail 130 remains in place, providing an effective temporary safety barrier at an appropriate height for adults.

[0050] These features mean that repair of the balustrade can be carried out without the need to bring into effect elaborate safety features, such as workers wearing harnesses or the provision of edge protection.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view or a monolithic toughened glass slat 120. FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of part of a balustrade according to an embodiment of the invention, corresponding in substance to the balustrade illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 but without the handrail. FIG. 8 shows the part of the balustrade of FIG. 7 in sectional plan view, with dimensions W, B and G illustrated.

[0052] As mentioned previously, the use of monolithic toughened glass means that there is no need to use laminated glass, which has a combustible interlayer. This improves the fire safety of the balustrade. A further drawback of laminated glass is that if both sheets of the laminated glass break, there resultant broken glass has a ‘floppy’ form.

[0053] The use or a slatted arrangement for the balustrade means that. If one or two panels break, the balustrade is still suitably strong.

[0054] A practical benefit of the use of glass slats is that replacement slats can be held in stock by the balustrade manufacturer. Balconies are typically designed bespoke to a project and therefore if large area glass panels are used for the balustrade, these are typically manufactured to order, giving rise to a significant lead time (e.g. about 12 weeks).

[0055] A further advantage of the use of glass slats is that there is only limited wastage for the supplier cutting the glass sheet when manufacturing the monolithic toughened glass slats.

[0056] Furthermore, the use or slats of limited widths effectively eliminates manual handling risk of the slats in the factories.

[0057] It is possible to use low iron monolithic toughened glass slats. Such glass is advantageous because joins are less visible and there is reduced nickel sulphide risk.

[0058] FIG. 9 shows a schematic side view of a balcony incorporating a balustrade according to an embodiment of the invention, including detail of the handrail and the attachment of the slats with respect to the balcony. The arrangement of glass slats 120, handrail 130 with respect to the balcony 100 is similar as for the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5. The slats 120 are attached to the balcony at their base, the attachment being hidden in normal use by fascia 118. However, in FIG. 9, the attachment is shown in outline, as is the lower part of three representative slats. In this embodiment, the slats have width W 115 mm and spacing gap G of 10 mm. This spacing gap is significant because it permits the use of M6 or M8 bolts (which have a shank of diameter 6 mm and 8 mm, respectively) to fit in the spacing gap. These bolts 132 are illustrated in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, in each gap between adjacent slats there is an upper bolt and a lower bolt. These extend through the spacing gap. They attach between metal (e.g. aluminium) plates (not shown) that extend along the lateral direction of the balcony, thereby clamping the slats between them. The advantage of this is that there is then no need for the slats to have holes formed through them for the passage of the clamping bolts. This is significant because cutting holes through glass, although possible, is time-consuming and relatively difficult.

[0059] FIG. 10 shows a partial sectional view of the balcony and balustrade of FIG. 9. This view shows the clamping bolts 132 extending in the spacing gap between adjacent glass slats. As shown in FIG. 10, the glass slat is offset from the front face of the fascia 116, in this case by about 60 mm. The fascia has a top lip 134 that inclines backwardly towards the balustrade. The intention of this feature is to provide a catch for broken glass in the event that one or more of the slats is broken. The inclined top lip of the fascia will catch broken glass to reduce or prevent glass fragments falling from the balcony and will direct the broken glass back into the balcony.

[0060] FIG. 11 shows a schematic sectional plan view of a balustrade according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, slats 220a and 220b are arranged in series substantially along a lateral direction of the balustrade, but the slats are staggered in the forwards and rearward direction. The effect of this is that, if desired, a front row of slats 220a can partially overlap a rear row of slats 220b. This is advantageous in the sense that it can reduce the total amount of elevation view gap between slats, which in turn increases the wind shelter provided by the balustrade.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 11, there is a metal plate 222 that is part of a clamping arrangement at the base of the slats, the front row of slats 220a sitting in front of the plate 222 and the rear row of slats 220b sitting behind the plate 222.

[0062] FIG. 12 shows a schematic elevation view of part of a balustrade, similar to FIG. 11. FIG. 13 shows the part of the balustrade of FIG. 12 in sectional plan view. As can be seen from FIG. 12, it is possible to identify a width W in the lateral direction for each slat. Adjacent slats are spaced apart from each other by a spacing gap G. The direction of measurement of this spacing gap differs from the first embodiment. However, the principle of the spacing gap is the same. For example, it can be considered to be the smallest available gap measurable in any direction between adjacent slats. As can also be seen from FIG. 13, when one slat is removed from the balustrade to form a breakage gap between adjacent remaining slats, the width B of the breakage gap, when viewed in elevation, can be less than the slat width W. Accordingly, with this arrangement it is possible to ensure that the breakage gap is relatively small, even when relatively wide slats are used.

[0063] The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or in the following claims, or in the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for obtaining the disclosed results, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

[0064] While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0065] For the avoidance of any doubt, any theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purposes of improving the understanding or a reader. The inventors do not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations.

[0066] Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

[0067] Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” and “include”, and variations such as “comprises”, “comprising”, and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

[0068] It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term “about” in relation to a numerical value is optional and means for example +/−10%.