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Yesterday — July 13, 2023 — United Kingdom-based balcony manufacturer Sapphire Balconies held "The Balcony Showdown" on the grounds outside their Concord, Ontario showroom. This event, equal parts showcase and challenge, demonstrated the efficiency and safety of aluminum as a construction material for balconies in a live setting, in comparison to a traditional concrete balcony. Two crews raced to see how many balconies of each type they could install over the course of the afternoon.
The event, kicked off by Sapphire and a representative from Resibuild, quickly transitioned into an informative presentation led by Murray Hone, the Business Development Manager for Sapphire Balconies. In their boardroom, Hone provided an overview of the company's history and its innovative anchoring methods and styles. He shared that Sapphire Balconies has been in operation for 31 years, but in the last five years alone, they have sold over 25,000 of their Glide-On cassette balconies, with a record of 62 balconies installed in a single day.
Hone highlighted the advantages of the Glide-On balconies, including their lightweight construction and the ability to digitally trace the entire process from production to installation. He addressed the issue of thermal bridging in traditional concrete balconies, emphasizing how Sapphire's balconies offer a significant improvement in a building's heat loss coefficient.
He emphasized the importance of both "macro modular" and "micro modular" approaches, indicating that these methods allow for flexibility in design and installation, as well as the potential for easy removal or replacement of balconies. The company is able to install larger balconies, and has completed projects up to 50 storeys. Their goal, he stated, "is to be [the] only and single point of contact for all things balconies. We incorporate all of this into a single easily installable product."
We spectators were then led back outside for the big showdown. Resibuild introduced the two competitive construction teams: the blue team installing Sapphire's cassette balcony, and the white team installing a traditional concrete balcony. In a display of efficiency and precision, the blue team completed their first Glide-On cassette balcony installation in a mere 12 minutes, demonstrating the streamlined process of Sapphire's system.
During the demonstration, Nick Haughton, President of Sapphire, emphasized the advantages of their system over traditional concrete balconies. Haughton emphasized the lightness of these balconies as a key takeaway, noting that their use could potentially remove up to 6,000 tonnes of weight from buildings. This feature also makes the balconies a viable option for retrofitting.
Evan Lindsell, managing director at Sapphire, provided some running commentary for the event. He explained that the system allows for mounting and dismounting, with all work done inside the building, ensuring that workers are always safely indoors, eliminating the risks associated with working on an open edge high above the ground.
The event concluded in a resounding victory for the blue team, who successfully installed 10 of Sapphire's cassette balconies over the course of the afternoon, compared to the white team, who were only able to complete a single traditional balcony installation. The Balcony Showdown represented more than a competition between balconies; it was a symbolic clash between innovation and tradition. By demonstrating the potential of aluminum as a sustainable and efficient material for balcony construction, Sapphire Balconies is looking to bring about a more sustainable future in residential construction in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
For more information about Sapphire Balconies and their innovative lightweight aluminum balconies, visit their website or contact them at support@balconies.global.
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