Balcony decking replacement underway as our Approved Installer Alu-Installations begins work on another fire-safety remediation project in Croydon, London.
Increasingly stringent standards are being observed for high-rise and multi-occupancy buildings following the Grenfell disaster. Fire-safety has become one of the most pressing challenges in housing, but the problem has been broadly recognised as essential and much progress has been made, in both new-build and in refurbishment projects.
Wandle Housing Association recently had cause to repair waterproofing to the walkways on one of their apartment blocks in Croydon. Rather than replace like-for-like and put new timber decking down after the waterproofing works were complete, Wandle made the forward-thinking decision to go fire safe and chose aluminium decking, not just on the walkway but across the whole buildings, balconies and all!
The use of aluminium in building construction is becoming increasingly popular among specifiers. The lightweight, cost-effective, versatile nature of the system and its excellent sustainability credentials have seen it rise to the fore in recent years.
Alu-Installations, one of our earliest Approved Installers, was commissioned to replace the rotting and tired timber decking at Boniface House in Croydon. The building has 24 balconies in total and a walkway that spans the length of the building at roughly 1m in projection. The remediation project was scheduled to last around 4 weeks and work was concluded on budget and on time.
This project saw the use of our 30mm Ridged Senior Boards with 30mm Angle trim. The main contractor, Breyer group, have opted to use the 30mm Ridged Senior Decking Board on many of their projects due to its robust nature and additional safety benefits from its increased slip resistance.
Fully compliant with the deflection requirements of BS8579:2020 (2.0kN point load with maximum allowable deflection of 5mm), the aluminium decking also has a fire rating of A2-s1, d0 and A2fl-s1 meaning the decking boards are non-combustible, do not contribute to fire, and meet all applicable regulations and laws.
In response to the ongoing minefield that is EWS1 & PAS 9980, our Aluminium Decking Boards offer fantastic compliance measures that will simplify the decision making for all concerned while also offering much needed comfort to the residents and leaseholders who are looking to sell their apartments.
The existing timber decking at Boniface House had become very worn and was losing its colour and aesthetic value. Constructed of many decaying timber panels, the wood had not taken kindly to the wear and tear of time and exposure to the elements.
Beginning with the rear of the property, Alu-Installations fully replaced decking to the balconies in question, with the leaseholders immediately benefitting from the practical and aesthetic improvements.
Finished in Quartz Grey (RAL 7039) with colour-matched 30mm angle trim to conceal the board edges, the balconies have created a revitalised amenity to the building.
Alu-Installations operate nationwide across their various teams. Founded in 2019 by owner George Baldwin, they have worked on some incredible projects across the UK using AliDeck materials. We could not be more pleased with their continued growth and success as they bring our products to many extremely happy customers. We spoke to George on site who said,
“The AliDeck team deliver a great service to us. Their customer service team is spot on, working with Kizzy and Hattie in particular along with their supporting teams has really made our lives easy. We love the product, and it is often specified by our contractors. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with AliDeck long into the future.”
If you would like to discuss further how we can best support and help you achieve compliant and fire-safe balconies for an upcoming remediation project, we’d love to talk to you. Simply contact us via 01622 235 672 or email info@alideck.co.uk.
