Technical Insights
Practical advice, specification guidance and technical articles for architects, contractors and developers designing roof terraces and balconies.
Can a Contractor Substitute a Penetrative Balustrade System if You’ve Specified Non-Penetrative?
Roof terrace projects often rely on carefully specified systems to meet structural, waterproofing, and design requirements. When a non-penetrative balustrade system is specified, replacing it with an alternative [...]
Retrofit Roof Terraces: The Questions to Answer Before You Specify
Retrofitting a roof terrace onto an existing building is very different from designing one into a new-build project. The roof already exists. The waterproofing system may be years old. [...]
The developer question everyone should ask before signing off a roof terrace – and what BalcoDeck provides
Before any roof terrace specification is signed off on a residential or mixed-use development, one developer question is worth asking: if this terrace creates a water ingress problem in [...]
BalcoDeck and building control: what the structural calculation covers and how to use it
Building control approval for a roof terrace balustrade is an assessment of structural performance — not a prescription of fixing method. Approved Document K and BS 6180 specify [...]
How BalcoDeck satisfies structural assessment on load requirements – without a single anchor fixing
The structural question that structural engineers ask when they first encounter BalcoDeck is the right one: if there are no anchor fixings into the [...]
BalcoDeck and the rooftop opportunity: activating unused flat roofs without touching the waterproofing
Unused flat roofs - activating without touching the waterproofing The UK has a significant stock of flat-roofed residential and commercial buildings where an unused [...]
What does a BalcoDeck installation mean for your mortgage valuation?
When a property with a flat roof terrace goes to mortgage, valuers and lenders are increasingly asking a specific question: is there documentation confirming [...]
Why Non-Penetrative Design Improves Thermal Performance
As building fabric performance standards continue to evolve, architects are paying closer attention to thermal bridges, thermal performance and heat loss pathways throughout the building envelope. Traditionally, most [...]
The Golden Thread Starts With Design Decisions
The term "golden thread" is now firmly established within the construction industry. Yet many discussions focus on documentation after construction rather than the decisions that create those records [...]
