Smart Balustrades

Broadleaves, in Boughton, near Ollerton, is the fourth ‘housing with care’ scheme to be opened by Newark and Sherwood District Council. The state-of-the-art scheme has been designed for people aged over 60.There are 30 spacious and accessible apartments designed to meet possible future needs, with features including a wet room and wider doorways.SMART Balustrades were contracted by NMCN to design, manufacture and install their stainless steel balustrade system with oak handrail to 4 stairs as well as 15 stainless steel Juliet balconies, 250m of timber corridor handrails, and a large external terrace with 1600mm high stainless steel balustrade.SMART’s timber balustrade system comes complete with a steel core rail to ensure the balustrades meets the required 0.74kN/m horizontal line load requirements.

Client: RL HarrisonContract value: £50kProducts used:3kN loading rectangular post balustrade with glass infill panels to viewing areas1.5kN loading 48mm diameter stainless steel balustrade to main staircaseWe were appointed to provide more than 90 metres of balustrades and 25 metres of handrails to Burton Rugby Club’s new Battlestead Croft site in Burton-on-Trent. This project involved supplying and installing balustrades and handrails to the viewing areas and main staircase of the new facility – with two important factors to consider: ensuring we stayed within the client’s budget, and selecting the most suitable products to provide an optimum viewing experience for visitors. The initial design drawings showed a vertical bar system along the viewing area, but this was not aesthetically pleasing and would have limited the view of the pitch for wheelchair users. We worked closely with the client to find the correct solution – as structural glass would have exceeded the client’s budget, we chose a balustrade system with 60×30 rectangular posts that are capable of achieving 3kN loading, with clear toughened glass infill panels. We also increased the height of the handrails, both for additional safety and to ensure it would not obscure the view of the pitch for wheelchair users. 

Client: Grove Developments/Arora HotelsContract value: £362kProducts used:  0.74kN loading stainless steel with glass balustrade to stairs1.5kN loading structural glass balustrade to link bridgesThe dual-brand Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express, which operates under Arora Hotels, is located at Heathrow Terminal 4 and opened in 2018. It consists of 300 rooms as well as business and meeting facilities. The building is directly connected to Heathrow’s Terminal 4 via an air bridge and also offers convenient access to the London Underground, Heathrow Express train service and nearby major motorway routes. We were instructed to supply and install more than 600 metres of balustrades, as well as over 300 metres of wall fixed handrails during the hotel’s construction phase. The balustrades used for the project were 1.5kn structural glass balustrades to bridges and 0.74kN loading stainless steel with glass balustrade to stairs. We provided approximately 300 metres of structural glass balustrades to the hotel’s link bridges. At the design stage of the project, we were advised that the bridges could deflect by 25mm, so our balustrade design had to accommodate this. The solution was simple but very effective – we left a 5mm gap in between each five-metre length of track, which was not noticeable when walking along the bridges but allowed for adequate movement in the structure with no damage to the balustrades or the finishes, and no compromise to the overall look. In addition, we adapted our handrail system to provide protection to the walls where guests wheel trollies and luggage into the hotel. By fixing handrails along the flooring close to the walls, it provided a functional yet attractive solution to avoid any marks or scratches that luggage might create.The overall result was a mix of balustrades to the hotel’s stairs and link bridges, plus handrail finishes to the high-traffic areas of the premises that all fit in with the building’s modern and clean design. 

Private clientContract value: £15kProducts used: 0.74kN loading structural glass balustrades to roof terraceWe were appointed on this residential project for a private homeowner in Shenstone, Staffordshire, to provide external structural glass balustrades to the property’s roof terrace. We worked closely with the client from the start of the project to the end, guiding them through the process and providing our advice and expertise to ensure the desired result was achieved. We advised that the balustrade loading weight would need to be 0.74kN – as this was for an external balcony, we chose the correct loading weight to protect the rest of the property and provide a safe and secure balcony feature to the roof terrace. Structural glass balustrades were chosen to provide a seamless view out from the terrace and add the perfect finishing touch to a beautiful outdoor space. Throughout the project, we maintained communication with the client, updating them on our progress and ensuring that they were delighted with the finished result. 

SMART were contracted to design, manufacture and install 250m of stainless steel with glass balustrade, 200m of wall fixed handrail, 100m of trolley bump rails as well as 100m of 1500mm high 3.0kN loading structural glass balustrade to the roof top bar.