Recently there have been misconceptions in some areas of the UK marketplace that certain ??common solution?? alternatives for concrete-to-steel connections perform just as well as the Schöck Isokorb type KS14 thermal break element. This is not necessarily the case. Schöck demands extremely high product performance standards and has a strong professional interest in ensuring that alternative solutions comply with the necessary building regulations ?? and that any performance claims are verifiable. To bring clarity to the situation, an independent investigation into the various performance criteria concerning the effectiveness of steel balcony connections to concrete slabs has been carried out by the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development, at Oxford Brookes University. The ??common solutions?? in question being the direct connection of balcony support brackets to a concrete floor slab using no form of thermal break; a solution using brackets in conjunction with a 10mm ??thermal pad??; and a further connection solution using a thicker 20mm ??thermal pad??. The OISD found the Isokorb type KS14 to be a superior thermal insulating element for connecting cantilevered steel components to reinforced concrete; while other comparable solutions failed to obtain the minimum amount of performance required by Part L of the Building regulations.
For more information telephone 01865 290 890 or email design@schoeck.co.uk with the reference 120927SCH ?? 27/09/12 for a copy of the report.
