Press room
September 3, 2011
Scientific study
It is well known that a glazed balcony protects the property’s façade from wind and weather. Now scientific results show that glazing in balconies also has a host of other positive effects, including minimised corrosion, eliminated risk of frost damage and reduced energy consumption.
According to a study conducted by technical consultants ramböll Sverige AB, there are a number of key reasons for investing in glazed balconies. The results of the study are also supported by a similar study carried out by Tampere University of Technology in Finland.
Glazing a balcony keeps out a lot of moisture and water, which causes the balcony to dry out. This in turn almost completely halts the corrosion process and eliminates the risk of frost damage. The overall effect is that a glazed balcony lasts 50 years longer than the equivalent open balcony.
“Now that we have scientific verification that glazing minimises reinforcement corrosion and thus extends the life of balconies, our customers can use this fact in their investment calculations. We are talking about enormous improvements in a balcony’s life expectancy. In addition, the energy section of the report enables our customers to highlight the effect of the glazing in applications for funding,” comments Michael Wickell, Managing Director of Europe’s leading balcony company, Balco AB.
When ramböll’s engineers took measurements at properties where Balco’s glazing covered 2/3 of the façade’s area, the results showed energy savings of almost 20%. The effect is equivalent to around 5 cm of traditional supplementary insulation, with incoming air being warmed up before it reaches the apartment.
The glazed balcony also provides effective protection for the façade and windows against rain, snow and wind. This cuts the need for future investment in renovating the façade and windows inside the balcony.
For more information:
Michael Wickell, MD Balco AB
Tel: +46 470-53 30 00, E-mail: michael.wickell@balco.se
Balco, technical studies of balcony glazing – Impact on carbonation and reinforcement corrosion can be ordered/downloaded from www.balcouk.com
Korrosionsmodel
Propageringsperiod
| Balcony | Concrete´s average moisture content RF (%) |
Initiation phase (years) | Propagation phase (years) |
Life (years) |
| Unprotected | > 90 | 30 | 18 | 48 |
| Protected | < 80 | 30 | 68 | 98 |
| Difference | > 10 | 0 | 50 | 50 |
The table shows the impact of glazing on the balcony floor’s propagation phase.
Energysaving diagram
