BALCONY

Abstract

A balcony 100 is disclosed for attachment to a building 50. The building has at least two building arms 62a, 62b. The balcony comprising a deck structure 110 and a perimeter structure 120 extending around the deck structure including at least one corner of the deck structure. The deck structure comprises a plurality of interlocked extruded deck beams 112a-112j. The perimeter structure comprises a substantially horizontally extending handrail 122-126. The perimeter structure is connected to the deck structure to provide additional rigidity and strength to the balcony. The balcony is attachable to the building by securing the building arms to the deck structure of the balcony.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a balcony for attachment to a building. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a balcony, a kit of parts for manufacturing a balcony, a method for attaching a balcony to a building and to a building with at least one balcony attached.

BACKGROUND

It is known to attach balconies to buildings, particularly residential buildings, in order to provide the occupants of the building above ground floor level with an outdoor space. Such buildings typically have a basic structure of a sequence of concrete floor slabs and columns. The columns may be of concrete and/or steel. A façade may be secured to, or form part of, the face of the building.

It is known to form basic balcony structures from concrete. In this case, the concrete balcony may be formed extending from the concrete floor slab of the building. There may or may not be a thermal break between the concrete floor slab of the building and the concrete base of the balcony. Omitting a thermal break makes the construction cheaper and simpler, but the inclusion of a thermal break improves the insulation performance of the building.

However, concrete balconies are extremely heavy, even for relatively small balconies. Therefore, they must typically be attached to the building during the main construction phase of the building. This is inconvenient. Furthermore, the use of concrete balconies significantly affects the construction of the façade of the building.

It is also known to use metal balconies. Of particular interest is to manufacture a balcony cassette (forming a deck of a balcony) using metal structural components and a balustrade arrangement at the perimeter of the balcony, attached to the cassette. The balcony can then be attached to cantilevered arms that extend outwardly from the building and are attached to the concrete floor slab of the building using suitable cast-in anchors.

However, typical cassette-type balconies, such as glide-on balconies that slide onto the cantilevered arms, are relatively complex, formed of many components that are bolted or riveted together. The cassette has a relatively large height (thickness measured in the vertical direction) in order to meet strength requirements and also to receive the cantilevered arms into the cassette, with soffit panels located at the base of the cassette.

For example, a cassette-type glide-on balcony is disclosed in EP 2989262 B1. The cassette is formed of a framework of beams, including cross-beams with apertures. It is intended that the framework of beams is then covered with decking panels, in order to provide a surface for the balcony users to walk on.

Another cassette-type glide-on balcony is disclosed in GB 2600747 A. The cassette is formed by attaching side-by-side a series of S-shaped folded sheet metal beams and bolting these together, the beams together defining apertures for the insertion of the cantilevered arms projecting from the building.

As for the earlier style of balcony mentioned above, the height of the cassette is significant, which additionally provides the benefit of allowing a balustrade arrangement to be attached via at least two vertically offset attachment positions on the cassette.

A kit for a balcony comprising a plurality of decking modules formed by extrusion is disclosed in GB 2514164 A. The decking modules are interconnectable to each other via separate fasteners to form a deck of a balcony. When in use, beams attached to and extending from a building are located within the decking modules, such that the decking modules surround the beams.

The present invention has been devised in light of the above considerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a general aspect, the present invention modifies known balconies by forming the deck structure from interlocking extruded deck beams, the deck structure then resting on cantilevered arms projecting from the building, the deck structure further reinforced by a perimeter structure attached to the deck structure and extending around at least one corner of the balcony. This can result in a simpler, more compact, and more lightweight construction that still meets appropriate performance and regulatory requirements.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a balcony for attachment to a building, the building having at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building, the balcony having a depth direction perpendicular to the face of the building to which the balcony is to be attached, a width direction perpendicular to the depth direction and parallel to the face of the building, and a height direction perpendicular to the depth direction and width direction and oriented substantially vertically when the balcony is attached to the building, the balcony comprising a deck structure and a perimeter structure extending around the deck structure including at least one corner of the deck structure; the deck structure comprising:

• • a plurality of extruded deck beams, each extruded deck beam comprising a securing feature in the external extruded profile of the extruded deck beam and a corresponding receiving feature in the external extruded profile of the extruded deck beam;
  • the perimeter structure comprising:
  • a substantially horizontally extending handrail;
  • wherein,
  • the securing feature of at least one of the plurality of extruded deck beams interlocks with the receiving feature of an adjacent extruded deck beam in the deck structure which is formed by assembling and interlocking the plurality of extruded deck beams,
  • the direction of extrusion of each of the extruded deck beams is substantially parallel to the width direction of the balcony,
  • the perimeter structure is connected to the deck structure to provide additional rigidity and strength to the balcony, and
  • the balcony is attachable to the building by securing the building arms to the deck structure of the balcony.

By providing a balcony according to the first aspect, a balcony can be provided that is simpler, more compact, and lighter than a typical glide-on balcony system.

The use of extruded deck beams provides a simple yet strong solution for the construction of the deck structure. The deck structure may cooperate with the perimeter structure so that the overall balcony has suitable strength and rigidity.

The extruded deck beams may have a flat and substantially featureless lower face, abutting together closely to leave no gap or only a narrow gap between them. This in turn means that it may not be necessary for the balcony to have soffit panels, since these are typically used to provide a neat appearance to the underside of the balcony and to prevent birds from roosting and/or nesting. In some embodiments, the underside of the deck structure may be provided with pockets for receiving the building arms, the pockets being shaped externally to avoid providing roosting and/or nesting locations for birds.

The building arms may be installed at the time of construction of the building. Alternatively, the building may be constructed with base members, such as cast-in anchors and/or stubs. These may provide locations for the building arms to attach. In that case, the building arms may be installed on the balcony before attachment of the balcony to the building, so that it is the building arms that are attached to the building, after the balcony is listed into position with respect to the building. The building arms may be I-beams, box beams or any other suitable configuration.

The building arms project from a face of the building. For example, the building arms may extend substantially horizontally outwards from a substantially vertical face of the building. As such, a beam projecting from a face of a building extends substantially horizontally from a vertical face of the building so as to form a cantilever beam, supported at the end closest to the face of the building.

The extruded deck beams are formed by the manufacturing process of extrusion so as to have a substantially constant cross-section along the length of the beam. The direction of extrusion typically corresponds to the elongate direction of the extruded beam, the cross-section of the beam being substantially constant in this direction.

As will be understood, a corner of the balcony corresponds to the location on the balcony where two sides or edges of the balcony meet.

The securing feature may for example be one or more male feature that interlocks with a corresponding one or more female receiving feature. The securing features and receiving features may be any corresponding features which interact to interlock.

Connected may mean in contact with. Alternatively, two connected items may be each in contact with a third (or further) connecting item. In this case, the two connected items may or may not be in direct contact with each other.

The securing of the deck structure to the at least two building arms may be by any suitable means including, but not limited to, bolts extending through the deck structure and at least part of the at least two building arms and secured by corresponding nuts at one end. Additional or alternatively the invention may use Lindapter clips to clamp the deck structure and building arms.

The ratio of the length of the extruded deck beam (the length of the extruded deck beam being measured in the width direction of the balcony) to the height of the extruded deck beam is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 60. This ratio may for example be greater than or equal to any one of 14, 18, 22, 26, or 30. This ratio may for example be less than or equal any one of 55, 50, 45, 40 or 35. Any end point of any of these ranges may be combined with another end point to form a suitable range within the scope of this disclosure.

The extruded deck beam having a length to height ratio according to this disclosure gives a compact and light deck structure when the extruded deck beams interlock, while still providing the required rigidity and strength. The extruded deck beams may for example be formed from aluminium or an aluminium alloy, such materials being well-suited to extrusion.

The deck structure may have a maximum deflection of less than or equal to 5 mm, measured relative to the building arms, when a point load of 2 kN is applied to the deck structure in the vertical direction at the mid-point between an adjacent pair of said at least two building arms. To the extent that the location of the point load may affect the deflection of the balcony, it is intended that this limit of deflection should apply for all locations on the deck structure at the mid-point between the building arms.

In some embodiments, the maximum deflection according to the above protocol may be less than or equal to any one of 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, or 1 mm.

The substantially horizontally extending handrail may be fixed to the deck structure via one or more upright support posts attached to the deck structure. At least one of the upright support posts may be located at the front of the balcony, away from the building. At least one of the upright support posts may be located at the rear of the balcony, adjacent the building.

Supporting the handrail in these ways ensures the handrail can be load bearing. In particular, the handrail preferably withstands loads from occupants, objects leaning against the handrail and/or environmental factors such as wind without requiring further support. This reduces the complexity of construction and makes the balcony lighter and more cost-efficient. As the handrail is load bearing, there is no requirement for additional support against horizontal deflection, such as may otherwise be provided from a balustrade panel. In some prior art arrangements, it is known for a balustrade panel (e.g. a glass panel) to be attached to the deck structure using two horizontal rows of fasteners (e.g. bolts extending through the glass panel and into the deck structure). These horizontal rows of fasteners are arranged with a vertical offset from each other, i.e. with one row disposed vertically above the other. This provides a suitable resistance to horizontal deflection of the balustrade panel with respect to the deck structure. However, in embodiments of the present invention, where a balustrade panel is present, vertical offsets of fasteners to the deck structure may not be required. Accordingly, there may be provided only a single row of such fasteners. This is because the handrail may attach to the top of the balustrade panel and the handrail itself has sufficient strength and rigidity that the balustrade panel is supported against horizontal deflection. This reduces the required depth of the deck structure, making the balcony lighter and simpler further.

If one of the upright support posts is located at the rear of the balcony, adjacent the building, the post may have a horizontally extending portion at which it is attached to the deck structure with at least two fixings horizontally offset from each other. Such an arrangement ensures that the upright post is adequately supported. Due to the horizontal offsetting, the fixings to the deck structure can provide a moment to the upright post, ensuring it provides support to the handrail when the handrail is loaded. As will be understood from the context of the present disclosure, it is intended that upright means substantially vertical.

The substantially horizontally extending handrail may supported by being fixed to the building. This may be at a position substantially vertically aligned with a horizontal plane of the substantially horizontally extending handrail.

Supporting the handrail in these ways ensures the handrail can be load bearing, with the associated advantages as described previously.

The perimeter structure may further comprise at least one balustrade panel, the at least one balustrade panel fixed to the deck structure and fixed to the substantially horizontally extending handrail.

A balustrade panel further enhances the safety of the balcony, with small items unable to fall from the balcony by passing underneath the handrail. In addition, fixing the balustrade panel to both the deck structure and the handrail ensures that the balustrade panel is secure and does not fall from the balcony in the exceptional case where the balustrade panel loses structural performance for example due to breaking and becoming floppy.

A balustrade panel may mean any object which extends substantially vertically and is disposed between the handrail and the deck structure. It may include panels of glass, sheet metal, a perforated panel, or a vertical bar panel (optionally with diagonal wires or trims to prevent racking).

The at least one balustrade panel may be fixed to the deck structure using fixings that are disposed at substantially the same height along the balustrade panel.

By having fixings disposed at the same height along the balustrade panel, the depth of the deck structure can be minimised, reduced weight and complexity of the deck structure.

The at least one balustrade panel may function as a stressed skin panel. Having the balustrade panel function as a stressed skin gives further strength and rigidity to the balcony.

A stressed skin may mean a thin structure taking a portion of the structural load in the plane of the skin, where the shortest dimension of the skin is perpendicular to said plane. Unloaded may mean no external load is applied. The balcony in an unloaded condition only supports its own weight.

The height of the deck structure may be, for example, not more than 120 mm. Having this upper limit on the height gives a deck structure which is light and compact. For relatively small balconies, the height of the deck structure may be smaller.

The handrail may have a maximum deflection in the horizontal direction of less than or equal to 40 mm when a point load in the horizontal plane of 1 kN is applied to the handrail.

Having an upper limit for the deflection for a given point load ensures that handrail is safe and feels safe to a user when a load is applied to the handrail. Examples of loading include a person holding on to the handrail and the wind blowing against the handrail.

A maximum deflection may mean a maximum deviation from an unloaded position.

The maximum deflection in the vertical direction may be less than or equal to 35 mm, 30 mm, 25 mm, or 20 mm.

When the balcony is attached to the building by securing the building arms to the deck structure of the balcony, the lower surface of the deck structure may be supported by the upper surface of the building arms.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a balcony according to the first aspect, the method comprising providing said plurality of extruded deck beams and securing the extruded deck beams together to form the deck structure, by inserting the securing feature in the external extruded profile of one extruded deck beam into interlocking engagement with the corresponding receiving feature in the external extruded profile of an adjacent extruded deck beam, and repeating as necessary for further extruded deck beams.

Using this method, the labour involved in manufacturing the balcony is significantly reduced, and results in a balcony which is lighter, cheaper, does not have anywhere for birds to roost, while still providing a safe balcony. Interlocking engagement may mean that the two pieces are interlocked.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a kit of parts for manufacturing a balcony according to the first aspect is provided, the kit comprising a plurality of said extruded deck beams and components for said perimeter structure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of attaching the balcony according to the first aspect to a building, the building having at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building, the method including the steps of lifting the balcony towards the building, lifting the balcony to a position in which it will be attached to the building, attaching the balcony to the building by fastening means between the deck structure and the building arms.

Fastening means may mean any technique for securing two structures together. It includes but is not limited to bolts extending through the deck structure and at least part of the at least two building arms and secured by corresponding nuts at one end, and separately includes Lindapter clips clamping the deck structure and building arms together.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a building with a series of balconies attached to the building, each balcony being according to the first aspect, the building comprising a corresponding series of balcony installation locations, each balcony installation location comprising at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building for attachment of one of the balconies to the building at said balcony installation location.

A series may mean at least two but the series may be at least three, at least four, or more.

The invention includes the combination of the aspects and preferred features described except where such a combination is clearly impermissible or expressly avoided.

SUMMARY OF THE FIGURES

Embodiments and experiments illustrating the principles of the invention will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of balconies attached to the face of a building.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the balcony according to the first aspect, attached to two building arms.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the deck structure according to the first aspect, formed from a plurality of extruded deck beams.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an extruded deck beam.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the extruded profile of the extruded deck beam, highlighting the securing feature and receiving feature.

FIG. 6A is a view of a plurality of interlocked extruded deck beams, with the securing feature interlocking with the receiving feature.

FIG. 6B is a detailed view of the interlocking between adjacent extruded deck beams.

FIG. 7A is an isometric view of the perimeter structure shown with the deck structure and floor panels for clarity.

FIG. 7B is an exploded view of the perimeter structure, with the deck structure and floor panels shown for clarity.

FIG. 8A is an isometric sectioned view showing the interaction between the handrail and the balustrade panel.

FIG. 8B is an isometric sectioned view, showing in more detail the interaction between the handrail and the balustrade panel.

FIG. 8C is a section view, showing the interaction between the handrail and the balustrade panel.

FIG. 9A is an isometric sectioned view of the fixing between the deck structure and the balustrade panel on the front of the balcony.

FIG. 9B is a section view of the fixing between the deck structure and the balustrade panel on the front of the balcony.

FIG. 10A is an isometric sectioned view of the fixing between the deck structure and the balustrade panel on the side of the balcony.

FIG. 10B is a section view of the fixing between the deck structure and the balustrade panel on the side of the balcony.

FIG. 11A is a view of an alternative embodiment showing the upper surface of the deck structure and the securing between the deck structure and the building arms.

FIG. 11B is a view of the alternative embodiment showing the lower surface of the deck structure and the securing between the deck structure and the building arms.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for attaching the balcony to the building.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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.

FIG. 1 shows a balcony 100 attached to a face 60 of building 50. The balcony has a depth direction D perpendicular to the face of the building to which the balcony is to be attached, a width direction W perpendicular to the depth direction and parallel to the face of the building, and a height direction H perpendicular to the depth direction and width direction and oriented substantially vertically. The building has a height direction H_building. The building has at least two building arms 62a, 62b (not shown in FIG. 1) at each balcony installation location.

FIG. 2 shows an isometric view of the balcony 100 together with building arms 62a, 62b. The balcony 100 comprises a deck structure 110, a perimeter structure 120, arm covers 130a, 130b, and floor panels 140. The deck structure and perimeter structure will be described in more detail when describing subsequent figures.

The building arms 62a, 62b project from the face 60 of building 50 at each balcony installation location. The arm covers 130a, 130b are disposed around the corresponding building arm 62a, 62b such that the building arms 62a, 62b are not exposed when the balcony 100 is attached to building 50. The arm covers 130a, 130b may be fixed by attachment to the deck structure by any suitable means, including but not limited to any one or more of mechanical fasteners, adhesives, and clamping between the deck structure 110 and perimeter structure 120. Alternatively, the arm covers 62, 62b can be omitted and the building arms 62a, 62b exposed when the balcony 100 is attached to the building 50.

The floor panels 140 are disposed on top of the deck structure 110 to provide an aesthetically pleasing balcony floor. The floor panels are laid on top of the deck structure with no further fixing means or may be held in place by mechanical fastening or adhesive between the floor panels 140 and the deck structure 110. Alternatively, the floor panels 140 may be omitted and the top of deck structure 110 forms the floor of the balcony 100.

FIG. 3 shows an isometric view of the deck structure 110. The deck structure 110 comprises a plurality of interlocked extruded deck beams 112a-122j. In FIG. 3, ten extruded deck beams 112a-112j are shown. As an alternative, the deck structure 110 may comprise any number of interlocked extruded deck beams 112 equal to or above two. The plurality of interlocked extruded deck beams form a strong and rigid deck structure 110.

FIG. 4 shows an isometric view of a single extruded deck beam 112. Each extruded deck beam 112 has ridges on its top surface 113. Alternatively, the top surface 113 may be smooth. The extruded deck beam is formed by extruding the extruded profile 115 in the extrusion direction D_extrusion. This is a straightforward manufacturing process such that the extruded deck beam 112 can be easily manufactured. The extruded profile 115 is constant along the direction of extrusion D_extrusion. The ratio of the length (in the direction of extrusion D_extrusion) to the depth of the extruded deck beam 112 is such that when a plurality of deck beams 112 form the deck structure 110, the deck structure 110 is sufficiently strong and rigid, while still being compact and lightweight.

FIG. 5 shows a view of the extruded profile 115 of extruded deck beam 115. The external profile of the extruded profile 115 comprises a receiving feature 114 and a securing feature 116. In this example, the securing feature 116 and receiving feature 114 are shown as corresponding substantially triangular profiles on the upper corners of the extruded profile 115 and corresponding substantially rectangular profiles on the lower corners of the extruded profile 115. However, any suitable geometry may be used for the securing feature 116, with a corresponding geometry for the receiving feature 114, including but not limited to, triangles, rectangles, circles, part-circles, semi-circles, and any shape with at least one rounded corner including modified triangles and rectangles.

The securing feature 116 may be any feature which substantially interlocks, snaps, or clicks with a corresponding receiving feature 114. The securing feature 116 and the receiving feature 114 are shown extending along the entire length of the extruded deck beam 112 in the direction of extrusion D_extrusion. An alternative is that these features only extend part way along the length of the extruded deck beam 112 in the direction of extrusion D_extrusion. This could be achieved in any way, in particular by post-processing the extruded deck beam 112 to remove a portion of the securing feature 116 and receiving feature 114 or by adding these features to the extruded deck beam 112 after manufacture of the extruded deck beam 112 without these features present. The securing feature 116 and receiving feature 114 may be separate components to the extruded deck beam 112, which are attached to the extruded deck beam 112.

FIG. 6A shows a plurality of interlocked extruded deck beams 112a, 112b, 112c. As shown, the securing feature 116 of a given extruded deck beam 112 interlocks with the corresponding receiving feature 114 of an adjacent extruded deck beam 112. Adjacent extruded deck beams 112 may be interlocked by pushing the securing feature 116 against the corresponding receiving feature 114 such that these features snap together and interlock. Alternatively, the adjacent extruded deck beams may be slid together from one end in the direction of extrusion D_extrusion into an interlocking arrangement.

Such an arrangement of interlocked extruded deck beams 112 reduces the labour required to assemble the deck structure 110 as separate components are not required to form the deck structure.

FIG. 6B shows detail A of the interlocking between two adjacent extruded deck beams 112. Taking extruded deck beam 112a to have the securing feature 116 and extruded deck beam 112b to have the receiving feature 114 and the grooved surface is taken as the upper surface, the interlocking of the upper part of the securing feature 116U with the upper part of the receiving feature 114U prevents extruded deck beam 112a from moving upwards relative to extruded deck beam 112b. This interlocking also prevents movement of extruded deck beam 112a away from extruded deck beam 112b in a horizontal direction. The interlocking of the lower part of the securing feature 116L with the lower part of the receiving feature 116L prevents extruded deck beam 112a from moving downwards relative to extruded deck beam 112b. Abutment of the vertical edge of the securing feature 116V with the vertical edge of the receiving feature 114V prevents movement of the extruded deck beams 112a, 112b towards each other in a horizontal direction.

As such, extruded deck beam 112a is prevented from separating laterally from extruded deck beam 112b. Friction between securing feature 116 and receiving feature 114 may also prevent movement of the extruded deck beams 112a, 112b relative to each other in the longitudinal direction.

Feature 7A shows the perimeter structure 120 with the deck structure 110.

FIG. 7B shows an exploded view of the perimeter structure 120 with the deck structure 110 shown for clarity. The perimeter structure comprises a handrail and balustrade panels 121, 123, 125. The handrail comprises vertical posts 128a, 128b and horizontal handrail portions 122, 124, 126. The handrail may be used without the balustrade panels 121, 123, 125, or with a different balustrade arrangement.

The handrail extends around a corner of the balcony by connecting horizontal handrail portion 126 to horizontal handrail portions 122, 124 by any suitable means including, but not limited to, any one or more of welding, soldering, mechanical fastening, adhesive, and mitering.

The handrail is connected to the deck structure 110 via vertical posts 128a, 128b. The handrail may only be connected to one vertical support post 128 at each end. In the illustrated example, the vertical post 128a is secured to horizontal handrail portion 122 and the vertical post 128b is secured to horizontal handrail portion 124. This securing can be by any suitable means, including, but not limited to, any one or more of mechanical fastening, welding, adhesive, and press fitting. The vertical posts 128a, 128b are secured to the deck structure at two horizontally offset locations, so as to be able to provide a moment on the vertical posts 18a, 128b. The securing of the vertical posts 128a, 128b to the deck structure can be by any suitable means, including, but not limited to, any one or more of mechanical fastening, adhesive, and press fitting. Although shown adjacent to the building 50, the vertical posts 128a, 128b could be disposed at the front of the balcony 100, away from the building 50.

FIG. 7B shows two vertical posts 128a, 128b supporting the handrail. More than two vertical posts 128 may be used. This may be the case for balconies with a large width. In this case, the horizontal handrail portion 126 may be supported by one or more vertical posts 128 which in turn are secured to the deck structure 110 or the building face 60.

Alternatively, the handrail may be connected directly to the building face 60 via any suitable means including, but not limited to, mechanical fastening. In this case, the handrail does not necessarily need to, although it still may, comprise vertical posts 128a, 128b and these parts may be omitted from the balcony 100. Attachment of the handrail to the building face 60 or the deck structure 110 provides a strong and rigid handrail which is able to withstand horizontal loads when in use without significant deflection.

The balustrade panels 121, 123, 125 are secured to the handrail as detailed in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and secured to the deck structure as detailed in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B. The balustrade panels prevent objects from passing under the handrail and off the balcony 100.

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C show the connection between the handrail and the top of the balustrade panel 125. The connection between the other balustrade panels 121, 123 and the handrail work in a similar fashion. The balustrade panel 125 sits in the deep groove of horizontal handrail portion 124. Small bolts (not shown) on the inside of the horizontal handrail portion 124 firmly clamp the balustrade panel 125 to the horizontal handrail portion 124. While a groove and bolt arrangement is described, the balustrade panels 121, 123, 125 may be attached to the horizontal handrail portions 122, 124, 126 by any suitable means known to the skilled person including, but not limited to, any one or more of grooves, clamping bolts, adhesive, bolts through the balustrade panels, fixing discs, lugs including banjos, and gaskets.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show the connection between the balustrade panel 127 and the deck structure 110. In other words, the connection between the balustrade panel and deck structure farthest from the building face 60. A screw (not shown) passes through a securing disc 127, the balustrade panel 123, a washer 129 and secures into the thickened portion of the extruded deck beam 112. This is merely an illustrative embodiment and the balustrade panel 127 could be fixed to the deck structure 110 by any means as well-known to the skilled person including, but not limited to, any one or more of screws, fixings discs, adhesive, bolts through the balustrade panels, lugs including banjos, and gaskets. FIG. 7A shows multiple fixings to the deck structure in the same horizontal plane along each of the balustrade panels.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show the connection panel between the side balustrade panels 121, 125 and the deck structure 110. A self-tapping screw (not shown) passes through the fixing disc 127, side balustrade panel 125, washer 129 and into the extruded deck beam 112. The self-tapping screw extends in the direction of extrusion D_extrusion (see FIG. 4) of the extruded deck beam 112. A hollow partial cylinder in the extruded profile 115 of the extruded deck beam 112 provides the mating surface for the self-tapping screw. While this specific arrangement is described, the skilled person would appreciate that the balustrade panels 121, 125 may be fixed to the deck structure by any suitable means, including, but not limited to any one or more of screws, fixings discs, adhesive, bolts through the balustrade panels, lugs including banjos, and gaskets. FIG. 7A shows multiple fixings to the deck structure in the same horizontal plane along each of the balustrade panels.

Having the balustrade panels 121, 123, 125 fixed to the handrail and the deck structure 110 means that the balustrade panels 121, 123, 125 can act as a stressed skin.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are of an alternative embodiment which show the connection between the building arms 62a, 62b and the deck structure 110. The deck structure 110 is fixed to the building arms 62a, 62b by bolts extending through the deck structure 110 and the flange of the building arm 62a, 62b with a securing nut and washer provided on the bottom edge of the flange. Optionally, an additional slotted washer is provided between the bolt head (with a conventional washer) and the deck structure 110. The deck structure 110 may be attached to the building arms by any other suitable means, including, but not limited to, any one or more of Lindapter clips, nuts, bolts, screws, and adhesives.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram of the method 900 for attaching the balcony to the building. This comprises steps of lifting 910 the balcony 100 towards the building 60, lifting 920 the balcony 100 to a position in which it will attach to the building 50, and attaching 930 the balcony 100 to the building 50 by fastening means between the deck structure 110 and the building arms 62a, 62b.

Each building arm 62a, 62b may be in two parts, a stub and an extension member. The stub may be attached to the building face 60 and the extension member attached to the stub. The extension member may be attached to the stub by any suitable means, including, but not limited to, a remote locking device as disclosed in WO2021175416A1. The balcony 100 may be attached to the extension members and the extension members supporting the balcony 100 from below. The balcony 100 may be attached to the extension members prior to attachment between the stubs and the extension members. The extension member-balcony assembly may be attached to the building 50 by attaching the stubs to the extension members.

Alternatively, the extension members may be attached to the stubs prior to attachment between the balcony 100 and the extension members. The balcony 100 may then be attached to the building 50 by attachment of the balcony 100 to the extension members.

Alternatively, each building arm 62a, 62b may be one part and the balcony attached to the building 50 by attachment of the balcony 50 to the building arms 62a, 62b. The building arms 62a, 62b support the balcony 100 from below.

Examples

The following is an example of an extruded deck beam suitable for use with an embodiment of the invention.

TABLE 1
Extruded deck beam parameters
Extruded deck beam parameter     Value
Material                         Aluminium 6063 T6
Length in direction of extrusion (m) 2
Height (mm)                      60
Depth (mm)                       150
Top thickness (mm)               1.75
Bottom thickness (mm)            1.75
Web thickness (mm)               1.75
Number of webs                   4
Web spacing c/c (mm)             40.0
Top flange thickener (mm)        1.2
Number per bay                   3
Bottom flange thickener (mm)     3.5
Number per bay                   1
Web stiffener (mm)               5.3
Number per web                   1

The deflection of the deck structure is measured using the following protocol:

• • 1. Attach the deck structure to two adjacent building arms.
  • 2. Mark the starting position, A, of a point Q on the deck structure, point Q being at the midpoint between the two building arms.
  • 3. Apply a vertically downwards point load of 2 kN to the deck structure at point Q.
  • 4. Mark the position, B, of point Q when the point load of 2 kN is applied to the deck structure.
  • 5. Measure the distance between A and B in the vertical direction, this distance is the maximum deflection of the deck structure under a vertical point load of 2 kN.

The deflection of the substantially horizontally extending handrail, when part of the balcony and fixed as defined above, is measured using the following protocol:

• • 1. Apply a horizontal load to the handrail at various positions and note the position of maximum defection of the handrail.
  • 2. Mark the starting position, A, of a point P on the handrail, point P being the expected position of maximum deflection based on the observation in step 1.
  • 3. At point P, apply a horizontal point load of 1 kN to the handrail.
  • 4. Mark the position, B, of point P when the point load of 1 kN is applied to the handrail.
  • 5. Measure the distance between A and B, this distance is the deflection of point P under a point load of 1 kN.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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%.

Claims

1. A balcony for attachment to a building, the building having at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building, the balcony having a depth direction perpendicular to the face of the building to which the balcony is to be attached, a width direction perpendicular to the depth direction and parallel to the face of the building, and a height direction perpendicular to the depth direction and width direction and oriented substantially vertically when the balcony is attached to the building,

the balcony comprising a deck structure and a perimeter structure extending around the deck structure including at least one corner of the deck structure;

the deck structure comprising: a plurality of extruded deck beams, each extruded deck beam comprising a securing feature in an external extruded profile of the extruded deck beam and a corresponding receiving feature in the external extruded profile of the extruded deck beam;

the perimeter structure comprising: a substantially horizontally extending handrail;

wherein,

the securing feature of at least one of the plurality of extruded deck beams interlocks with the receiving feature of an adjacent extruded deck beam in the deck structure which is formed by assembling and interlocking the plurality of extruded deck beams,

the direction of extrusion of each of the extruded deck beams is substantially parallel to the width direction of the balcony,

the perimeter structure is connected to the deck structure to provide additional rigidity and strength to the balcony, and

the balcony is attachable to the building by securing the building arms to the deck structure of the balcony.

2. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of a length of the extruded deck beam (the length of the extruded deck beam being measured in the width direction of the balcony) to the height of the extruded deck beam is greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 60.

3. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the deck structure has a maximum deflection of less than or equal to 5 mm, measured relative to the building arms, when a point load of 2 kN is applied to the deck structure in the vertical direction at the mid-point between an adjacent pair of said at least two building arms.

4. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the substantially horizontally extending handrail is fixed to the deck structure via one or more upright support posts attached to the deck structure.

5. The balcony according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the upright support posts is located at a front of the balcony, away from the building.

6. The balcony according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the upright support posts is located at a rear of the balcony, adjacent the building.

7. The balcony according to claim 6, wherein the upright support post is located at the rear of the balcony, adjacent the building, has a horizontally extending portion at which it is attached to the deck structure with at least two fixings horizontally offset from each other.

8. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the substantially horizontally extending handrail is supported by being fixed to the building, optionally at a position substantially vertically aligned with a horizontal plane of the substantially horizontally extending handrail.

9. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the perimeter structure further comprises at least one balustrade panel and the at least one balustrade panel is fixed to the deck structure and fixed to the substantially horizontally extending handrail.

10. The balcony according to claim 9, wherein the at least one balustrade panel is fixed to the deck structure using fixings that are disposed at substantially the same height along the balustrade panel.

11. The balcony according to claim 9, wherein the at least one balustrade panel functions as a stressed skin panel.

12. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the height of the deck structure is not more than 120 mm.

13. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the substantially horizontally extending handrail has a maximum deflection of less than or equal to 40 mm when a point load in a horizontal plane of 1 kN is applied to the substantially horizontally extending handrail.

14. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein when the balcony is attached to the building by securing the building arms to the deck structure of the balcony, the lower surface of the deck structure is supported by an upper surface of the building arms.

15. The balcony according to claim 1, wherein the building has a façade covering the face of the building, with the façade disposed between a rear of the balcony and the face of the building.

16. A method for manufacturing a balcony according to claim 1, the method comprising providing said plurality of extruded deck beams and securing the extruded deck beams together to form the deck structure, by inserting the securing feature in the external extruded profile of one extruded deck beam into interlocking engagement with the corresponding receiving feature in the external extruded profile of an adjacent extruded deck beam, and repeating as necessary for further extruded deck beams.

17. A kit of parts for manufacturing a balcony according to any one of claim 1, the kit comprising:

a plurality of said extruded deck beams and components for said perimeter structure.

18. A method of attaching the balcony according to claim 1, to a building, the building having at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building,

the method including the steps of: lifting the balcony towards the building; lifting the balcony to a position in which it will be attached to the building; and attaching the balcony to the building by fastening means between the deck structure and the building arms.

19. A building with a series of balconies attached to the building, each balcony being according to claim 1, the building comprising a corresponding series of balcony installation locations, each balcony installation location comprising at least two building arms projecting from a face of the building for attachment of one of the balconies to the building at said balcony installation location.