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Great Yarmouth Gets Great Balcony
A private residence in Great Yarmouth recently required a balustrade solution for two adjoining outside balcony areas – with safety glass specialists...
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GGF On Mission to Overturn Knee-Jerk Ban On Safety Glass
A recent GGF webinar discussed the federation's response to the knee-jerk ban on the use of laminated safety glass which it wants overturned.
The ban (under regulation 7/statutory instrument 1230) applies to building attachments such as balustrades in buildings over 18m high in England and Wales and over 11m high in Scotland.
The ban is generally seen as an over-reaction to a fire involving balconies which were basically constructed of timber but had laminated glass balustrades. The interlayer used in the glass has a small chance of igniting when tested in isolation. When in situ – ie between two or more layers of glass, the risk is minimal as only a small area, perhaps as small as 1.5mm, is exposed. There is no evidence that laminated glass contributed to the balcony fire.
Extension of ban
Another important consequence of the ban is that it carries over to commercial buildings. Laminated glass cannot now be used for spandrels.
Lift the ban plea
Since this ban was introduced in 2018, the GGF has been working on behalf of Members to respond to Government Consultations surrounding this issue and working towards facilitating a lifting of the ban via exemptions in, Regulation 7 for the use of Laminated Safety Glass in Balconies and Balustrades.
In late 2019, the GGF set up the Document B Working Party and with the help of the GGF Members the GGF has undertaken large scale testing on Laminated Safety Glass.
The resultant GGF Test Report was submitted to the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for consideration in Jan 2021 and is now being submitted to the devolved Governments of Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland.
At the webinar
Ben Wallace, GGF senior technical officer, opened with a presentation on the issue and reported on the GGF’s work in producing a comprehensive response to the Government Consultation and an in-depth report on the testing of laminated safety glass. The GGF continues to engage with MHCLG to present the case for Laminated Safety Glass to be exempt from the list of banned products.
“The GGF has put a lot of time, planning and thought into this very important issue that affects many of our Members. We will continue our engagement with Government and update Members as and when we have more information on this matter.”
– John Agnew
Managing Director, GGF
Insight
Tony Smith, GGF President said: “I was delighted with the attendance at this GGF Webinar. Whilst we are restricting circulation of the report until further work on the testing of standard safety glass laminates on behalf of MHCLG is complete, we wanted to ensure that members got some significant insight into the testing process carried out with NSG Pilkington and subsequent outputs.
"I would also like to thank H.B. Fuller/Kommerling, TuffX Processing Ltd. Glassline Gmbh and Independent Glass Company for their support in this project which I believe contributes significantly to the understanding of the behaviour of Standard Laminated Safety Glass in a Fire scenario. The team believes that the case for lifting the ban imposed as a result of changes to Regulation 7 SI1230 is strengthened by this GGF led activity
"I feel that it’s also significant that GGF continues to work with Consortium lead – OFR (Fire Safety Consultants) and MHCLG to bring a conclusion to this issue on behalf of the Glass Industry.”
Fire safety in buildings
John Agnew continued: “Fire safety in buildings is of paramount importance to the GGF. A fair and reasonable approach should be adopted, not just for the benefit of the glass and glazing industry but also for the wider construction sector and end users.
For more information on the GGF’s campaign on the laminated glass ban for external facades including balcony applications, please contact Ben Wallace, bwallace@ggf.org.uk
Picture: An aluminium and glass balcony.
Article written by John Roper
11th March 2021