EP-4251815-B1 - BALCONY CHASSIS

Inventors

• PRESSLAND, Adam

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20211116

Claims (10)

1. A balcony chassis (100) for supporting a balcony floor (30), comprising: an elongate structural beam (110) having a top surface and a bottom surface and extending along an edge of the chassis, a plurality of intermediate beams (120) extending to the structural beam and forming a support base for the balcony floor, and one or more planar plates (130) extending between or underneath the intermediate beams and forming a drainage surface configured in use to capture water incident from the floor above and to direct the water to the structural beam, wherein the structural beam includes a passage (111) through the interior of the structural beam extending from the top surface of the structural beam to the bottom surface, characterized in that the passage (111) comprises a void space inside the structural beam, and wherein the structural beam further includes a plurality of inlets (112) through the top surface of the structural beam into the void space and a plurality of outlets (113) through the bottom surface of the structural beam from the void space, wherein the inlets and outlets are formed by a plurality of apertures spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the structural beam, and wherein the structural beam is configured in use to direct water received by the inlets (112) through the top surface of the structural beam from the one or more plates to the outlets (113) through the bottom surface of the structural beam.
2. The balcony chassis of claim 1, wherein a plurality of planar plates (130) extend between the intermediate beams (120) and form a plurality of drainage surfaces.
3. The balcony chassis of claim 2, wherein the intermediate beams (120) and plates (130) are configured to interlock together.
4. The balcony chassis of any preceding claim, wherein the plate or plates (130) extend over substantially the full depth of the chassis.
5. The balcony chassis of any preceding claim, wherein the drainage surface is angled relative to the intermediate beams (120).
6. The balcony chassis of any preceding claim, wherein a filter (116) is provided at or adjacent the inlets.
7. The balcony chassis of claim 6, wherein a channel (115) is formed in the top surface of the structural beam and the inlet apertures (112) are provided through the bottom surface of the channel, and wherein the filter (116) is positioned in the channel.
8. The balcony chassis of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein a channel (115) is formed in the top surface of the structural beam and the inlet apertures (112) are provided through the bottom surface of the channel, and wherein a sloped insert plate (117) is provided in the channel to direct incident water to the end of the beam.
9. The balcony chassis of any preceding claim, wherein a deflector (118) is positioned at or adjacent the outlets (113) to divert the exiting water horizontally outwards from the outlets in use.
10. A balcony for a building, including the chassis of any preceding claim.

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to a balcony chassis for supporting a balcony floor with an improved water drainage system. Background Balcony drainage is a fundamental consideration for a balcony system. The way liquid moves from the contact surface to a safe and desirable exit from the balcony needs improvement. Liquids considered for a balcony drainage are not exclusive to rainwater, there must also be an allowance for hot liquids and chemical spills. "Water" is used in the claims and other parts of this specification for convenience, but is intended to cover any type of liquid incident on the balcony contact surface (floor). Ensuing any liquid is drained safely to the exit location is a difficult task to achieve and therefore has been a longstanding issue for balcony designers. Tracking water around balcony beams and joints, via capillary action, is also an important issue. Tracking water can move over joints and into locations not designed for water ingress, such as around welded or bolted connections. Water can cause issues in such places, including bimetallic corrosion and weakening of welded connections. In terms of draining incident water from a balcony floor, previous designs have employed a sloping floor. However, this is not recommended by leading balcony manufacturers for safety reasons and it can also provide an uncomfortable experience for the balcony user. Traditionally therefore, the floor is level and water is drained through the floor, through the balcony framework, and onto a sloped soffit panel. Sometimes secondary internal sloping soffit trays are provided, however these are generally designed out to save cost. Sloping soffits work satisfactorily to move the water away from the building façade line and out of the soffit profile via an open end or gap. This type of soffit is usually made from interlocking aluminum sheets which are open at both ends. One problem which occurs with sloping soffits is that debris can collect over time in the soffit tray which can lead to blockages and overloading of the soffits. Soffits are not easily serviced for reasons of access and design. There are also issues with capturing the waste without risk to maintenance personnel from falling objects, and having to be safely harnessed to the balcony flooring or on scaffolding or a mobile platform. Architecturally, another issue with current sloped soffit designs is that, because they must be sloped, they cause unsightly lines and inconsistent gaps. By virtue of the sloped soffit design, there is no scope for achieving any IP rating for the system. This lack of regulation and guidance therefore means it is difficult for warranty providers to correctly assess the suitability of the water system. Another key failure of the current system is the requirement under the British standard for the liquid to be projected 30mm away from the balcony facia. This is intended to remove the possibility of liquid falling onto the balcony or persons below. Although possible with sloped soffits, this is challenging to achieve and the architectural finish would be unsightly and is extremely difficult to achieve. On some balconies, drainage is required to the side of the balcony rather than the front. This is a complicated design process for pitched soffits as generally balconies are wide, and therefore when needing the fall ratio of 1:80 it can mean the soffits need to pitch a considerable amount. This can lead to large/deep balcony chassis, increased costs, and non-standardisation. The new British standards calls for reduced gaps on the soffit panels to support sound deflection, which goes against the need for sufficient water gaps in sloped soffit designs. The invention, at least in preferred embodiments, is designed to address and overcome some or all of the above issues. FR 2954370 (Bugal S.A.) discloses a platform such as a balcony, for use on a façade of a building. The platform has peripheral frame whose rear cross-piece is formed by an aluminum shaped beam that is provided with gutter. The gutter beam drains to a single outlet which can be connected to a downpipe. Summary of the Invention The invention provides a balcony chassis for supporting a balcony floor in accordance with claim 1. The balcony floor may be formed from a porous material or may be formed from impervious floor sections with drainage gaps left between each section. In either case, incident water will pass through the floor above and be collected by the one or more plates underneath. Although the chassis may be any shape in plan view, balcony chassis are typically rectangular (including square). In this case, the chassis preferably has a proximal (rear) edge parallel and adjacent to the building façade and a distal (front) edge parallel to and spaced from the building façade. The structural beam of the invention may form the distal edge of the chassis. Additional structural beams in accordance with the invention may be employed to form the si