Sapphire Balconies’ Head of Marketing, Nick Haughton talks us through the firm’s commitment to sustainable practices.
The impact of accumulated carbon emissions is driving climate change and biodiversity collapse, the construction industry has a significant role to play in addressing these serious issues for our planet. Sapphire believes architects, designers and builders can make a real difference by looking beyond offsetting with credits and the green rating tools and taking a more holistic approach to designing healthy, climate-friendly buildings that support biodiversity.
Sapphire’s Glide-On Cassette balconies are delivered fully assembled, including balustrades. They are then simply craned into position and slide onto steel support arms for final attachment. Minimal further finishing is required, making this time-saving installation so fast that more than 40 balconies have been fitted in a single day.
Cutting Weight, Cutting Carbon
Key to the system is its lightweight, modular construction, which reduces forces on the anchors and connections that transfer the load of the balcony to the structure of the building. This is particularly important, for example, where structural elements are less rigid than reinforced concrete.
The balconies themselves are made of laser cut and mechanically fixed aluminium, making them one third the weight of a comparable all-steel design.
The smaller load may reduce the number of supports required, the number of façade penetrations and the risk of cold bridging or damp problems. This significantly cuts the environmental impact of the building by reducing occupational heat loss when compared to heavier balconies.
Embodied Carbon
The embodied carbon of a Sapphire balcony is already lower than that of its concrete counterparts thanks to the construction material – the embodied carbon of aluminium is estimated at 2.44 tonnes per balcony, compared with 3.79 for steel and 4.23 for concrete. However, Sapphire is looking to reduce the embodied carbon still further by adopting measures such as reducing unnecessary welding and further utilising intelligent delivery.
Efficient transportation is a key element of reducing carbon; thanks to Sapphire’s double stacking trailers, intelligent nesting and stacking techniques the number of deliveries to site can be drastically cut. This not only reduces the emissions from transportation but also limits the number of vehicles and deliveries coordinating on site.
Additionally, because our Glide-On balconies arrive on site prefinished, the time spent in construction on-site and crane time is minimal. High standards of quality control in offsite manufacturing facilities decreases the risk of errors, reducing waste and helping projects run quicker and smoother.
Recyclable
Sapphire is also proud to say their aluminium balconies are almost entirely recyclable– an important consideration for architects and specifiers considering the full lifecycle of the building as well as looking to achieve increasingly stringent carbon reduction and sustainability targets.
We at Sapphire have developed a plan to tackle carbon reduction at every stage of their operations and pledge to continue to find new ways to improve the sustainability of their operations and products. From minimising the embodied carbon in their balconies to cutting operational carbon by improving efficiencies, making the transition to electric/hybrid vehicles, and switching to renewable power sources, Sapphire is committed to taking a holistic approach to protect our environment. This is underpinned by Sapphire’s attainment of the ISO 14001 certification which they have maintained since 2009.
