GB2559872B

GB2559872B - Balcony structures

Info

Publication number: GB2559872B
Application number: GB1721806.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Goodenough Edwin
Original assignee: Brooksby Projects Ltd
Current assignee: Brooksby Projects Ltd
Priority date: 2016-12-23
Filing date: 2017-12-22
Publication date: 2019-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-22
Also published as: GB201622144D0; GB2559872A; GB201721806D0; GB2558272A; GB201712875D0

Description

BALCONY STRUCTURES

This invention relates to balcony structures, and in particular to prefabricated balcony structures which are installed on the outside of buildings after the building structure itself has been completed.

It is known to fit balcony structures to buildings, either at the time of construction of the building itself or subsequently, by mounting on the building a number of horizontally extending support beams and then locating on the support beams a pre-fabricated structure which constitutes or supports the floor of the balcony and to which the customary end and front wall or rail members are then affixed to provide an enclosed balcony space accessible from the interior of the building. Various ways of doing this are known and described in the following published patent specifications: JP-A-2002-21177, EP-A-2261430, GB-A-2514164 and WO 2014/174269.

When installing such a structure, once the horizontally extending beams are in place, a pre-fabricated balcony structure may be fixed on the beams, in particular by lifting the balcony structure to the right height using a crane or hoist, and then sliding it horizontally on to the beams. This can be easily achieved sometimes, but high wind, bad weather or adverse site working conditions can make it difficult.

We have now developed a new structure which is relatively easy to install and which does not suffer from the problems of the balcony structures disclosed in the published specifications noted above. In particular, it avoids the problem of requiring very accurate alignment between the balcony structure and the projecting support beams before moving the structure horizontally.

Recording ίο tire present invention, there Is provided a pre-fabricated balcony structure for installation on a set of horizontal support beams extending from a building structure which comprises a metal framework, means in the framework defining a plurality of channels into which the support beams may be inserted, tie dimensions of the channels being greater in the directions perpendicular to the elongation of the support beams than the dimensions of the support beams: themselves, and wherein the channels have spaced ceiling portions to overfie the top of each beam when installed, and wherein the framework comprises means to adjust and fix the location of the framework on the array of support beams foilowlng its placement on the array of support beams, those adjustment and fixing means comprising a height adjustment mechanism incorporated in the spaced ceiling members between the ceiling members and the support beams, enabling the precise position of the balcony structure vertically to be adjusted, and screw-threaded adjustment means set into the sides of the channels to enable the lateral position of the baicopy structumlto be adjusted; 8y constructing the framework in this way, Λ is possible to ensure, because the channels are substantially bigger than the cross^sectfon of the support beams, that positioning the framework over the support beams is easilyachieved because there IS plenty #:piay. Once the balcony framework has been brought roughly into the correct; position so that its side lies adjacent io the buflding. the final positioning of the hafedhy can be easily achieved. Securing that it is accurately level ls achieved by the spaced ceiling members incorporating some height adjustment mechanism between the ceiling members and the support beams, enabling the precise position of the balcony structure vertically to be adjusted. A simple way of achieving this is to have a ihreaded screw member in each of the ceiling portions which may be screwed down against the top of the beam so as to lift the entire balcony structure into the desired correct position. A mechanism of this type is described in EP 2261430A.

The lateral position of the balcony structure is convenient!! a«|u$tert by means of the screw-threaded adjustment means set Finally, in order to ensure that the position of the fmmeworfeis fc not merely resting under its own weight on the horizontally-projecting beams, and cannot move upwards, for example if subjected to upwardly directed wind pressure which can, in poor weather conditions, be very substantial on balcony structures mounted on tall buildings, suitable fixing means are used to prevent such upward movement. One convenient way of achieving this is to provide means on the framework enabling the ceiling portions to be bolted on to a strap or the like located below each beam.

Alternatively, the framework may have one or more floor portions between the parts of the metal framework defining the channels. This has the advantage of stiffening the framework against bending, though the presence of the floor portions means that the balcony structure cannot simply be dropped on to the support beams extending from the building structure. Preferably, the floor portions are located spaced from the edge of the balcony structure which is to lie adjacent the building.

The adjustment and fixing means just described enable the precise desired position of the balcony structure to be achieved even in adverse working conditions. It can be easily located on the support beams in approximately the correct position and then adjusted vertically and horizontally to precisely the correct position, and fixed in that position, for example by the clamping screw bolts which may have their ends against both sides, the top and the bottom of the support beams.

Once the structure has been fixed to the support beams, it may be fitted out with guard rails, side walls, etc. in customary fashion.

By way of example, two embodiments of the balcony structure in accordance with the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a balcony structure fitted on to three cantilever arms projecting from the side of a building;

Figure 2 is a simplified diagram of one end of the balcony structure of Figure 1, as seen from the interior of the building;

Figure 3 is a view of the same end of the structure of Figure 1, likewise simplified, but seen from the outside of the building;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic part section through part of the balcony structure of Figure 1 during its installation and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative balcony structure according to the invention.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the balcony structure itself is denoted 1 and it is to be installed so that its surface is substantially level with the surface of a floor 2 within the building. The floor of the balcony is not shown in Figure 1 so that the internal structure is visible. In the following description, reference is not made to the standard components of the structure even though these are shown in Figure 1, since they are not relevant to the invention which is embodied in the structure illustrated.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the balcony structure consists of a framework made of C-section steel or alloy members welded together and this is shown in Figure 1 resting on top of three cantilever beams 14 which are fixed in known fashion to the side of the building.

The balcony structure 1 is made up of a front wall 5, end walls 6 and 7, a plurality of beams 8 parallel to walls 6 and 7 and a set of sections 9 running parallel to wall 5.

Between a pair of beams 8 near each end of the balcony structure and centrally are three channels, the sides of which are defined by beams 8. Two plates 12 define at the top of the channel.

As can be seen in Figure 1, the cantilever beams 14 are located between pairs of beams 8 and the structure rests on those beams via plates 12.

As can be seen most clearly in Figure 4, the plates 12 may be resting directly on the top of beams 14 or, more usually, via a threaded bolt 18 which fits in a threaded hole in the middle of each plate 12. By rotating bolt 18, the balcony structure itself may be raised or lowered so that it lies at the precisely desired level relative to the floor 2 and, by adjustment of the bolts 18 in the plates 12 adjacent front wall 5, the level of the edge of the balcony structure most distant from the building may be raised or lowered to ensure that the floor of the balcony (omitted from Figure 1 for the sake of clarity) is level.

As shown in Figure 4, beams 8 have threaded bolts 19 installed in them. These are withdrawn prior to the installation of the balcony structure, so that they do not project very far into the channels between a pair of beams 8 but, following the placement of the structure on cantilever beams 14, they can be screwed in until the end of each bolt 19 contacts the outer wall of the cantilever beam 14. By suitable adjustment of bolt 19, the lateral position of the balcony structure can be adjusted within a certain range and the bolts 19 are tightened up so that their ends are adjacent to the wall of beam 14 to fix the balcony finally in the desired position. After bolts 18 and 19 have been adjusted to ensure that the height and lateral position of the balcony structure are as desired, a strap 16 is then brought into contact with the underside of beam 14 by turning a pair of bolts 20. These extend downwardly through plates 12 and support a strap 16 which is brought to lie in contact with the underside of beam 14.

The strap 16 may have threaded holes at its ends and, once tightened up, lock nuts 21 may be threaded on to the lower ends of bolts 20 to render the system resistant to any loosening due to vibration, thermal expansion and contraction or variable wind loading.

As can be seen most clearly in Figure 4, beam 14 is a very loose fit in the channel between beams 8.

The balcony structure 1 as shown in Figures 1 to 3 may be located on the three cantilever beams 14 by lowering the structure vertically on to those beams rather than sliding the structure horizontally. Essentially the loose fit of beams 14 in the channels between beams 8 makes it very easy, even in adverse conditions, to locate the balcony structure 1 on the beams 14 and using bolts 18, 19 and 20, and the support strut 16, the balcony can then be secured in the finally desired precisely adjusted position.

Referring now to Figure 5, this shows an alternative structure which is stiffer than the structure shown in Figures 1 to 3. Between each pair of beams 8 are welded floor and ceiling members 30, 31 respectively, each of which has a central threaded aperture for a clamping bolt. Once the structure has been slid on to the cantilever beams 14, the clamping bolts in the ceiling members are adjusted to render the balcony precisely level, the lateral clamping bolts are adjusted to position the structure laterally relative to the beams 14 and finally the bolts in the floor members are tightened to fix the balcony structure relative to the beams 14 and to hold the structure firmly on the cantilever beams 14.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 A pre-fabricated balcony structure for installation on a set of horizontal support beams extending from a building structure which comprises a metal framework, means in the framework defining a plurality of channels into which the support beams may be inserted, the dimensions of the channels being greater in thedirections peiipehdicularip beams iianth^ of thesupport beamsthemseSves.and wherein thechannels have spaced ceiling portions to overlie the top of each beam when installed, and wherein the framework comprises means to adjust and fix the location of the framework on the array of support beams following its placement on the array of support beams, those adjustment and ping: means comprising a height adjustment mechanism incorporated in the spaced ceiling members between the ceiling members and the support beams, enabling the precise position of the baicony structure vertically to be adpstad, and screw-threaded adjustment-means set into the sides of the channels to enable the lateral position of the balcony structure to be adjusted.
2. A pre-fabricated baicony structure according to Claim 1 wherein the |ei|li adju^iidnf mechanism comprises a threaded screw member in each of the ceiling portions which may be screwed down against the top of the beam so as to lift the entire balcony structure into the desired correct position.
3. A pre-fabricated baicony structure according to Claim 1 or 2 and comprising means to bolt the ceiling portions on to a strap or the like located below each beam,
4. A pfe-iabrieated:baleony siruciureaecording to any one of Claims 1 to 3 and including one or more floor portions between the channel-defining means.