BALCONY KEY TERMS

This is quick, short list of words to familiarise yourself before going too much further.

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Cast-In Anchors: An anchor, cast into the concrete slab frame of the building, onto which the balcony is fitted to.

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Rebar: Short for reinforcing bar, rebar is a steel bar or mesh of steel wires used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid the concrete under tension. Often used within buildings RC slab.

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Stub: The unit attached to the anchor, onto which the balcony support arms are then connected to.

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Thermal break: A thermal break is a material with low thermal conductivity, placed in an assembly, to reduce or prevent the flow of thermal energy between the inside and outside of a building. Found on the front end of our Cast-In anchors.

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Arm: The arm is a steel beam I beam fixed to the stub, onto which slides the balcony.

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Cassette: The Cassette is the skeleton, or the chassis of the balcony, onto which the remaining components of the balcony are then attached.

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Balustrade: The balustrade is railing supported by balusters, forming the sides of the balcony, and can be made of a number of materials, most commonly, glass, vertical aluminium bars, or metal sheet.

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Soffit: A soffit is in the broadest sense of the word is the underside of any construction element. On balconies it is was form the bottom of the balcony and is fixed to the underside of the cassette.

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Fascia: In relation to balconies, the fascia is a metal wrap around the sides of the cassette, where the bottom of the balustrade is fixed to the cassette.

WPC: Wood Plastic composites, a material sometimes used for decking.

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RWP: Standing for rain water pipe, a option for drainage.

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MMC: Standing for modern methods of construction, which refers to the more modern ways of building as opposed to the more traditionally concrete slab, e.g. Pre-cast panels.