Which UK Building Regulations Apply to a Glass Balustrade?

Far more than just considering whether the addition will suit your space, you also need to consider whether it will meet the UK Building Regulations – standards that change regularly and have an important health and safety role within the construction industry – as well as having a significant bearing on your ability to resell the property.

Whatever you would like to install – whether it’s a glazed feature or not – it can be very difficult to properly understand which parts and documents apply to your situation. In this short guide, we hope to offer some clarity on which UK Building Regulations apply to a glass balustrade.

To answer that question most effectively, we will assess each of the most relevant parts individually. But before we do, it’s important to define exactly what we mean by a glass balustrade.

A balustrade is a vertical barrier that prevents falls on stairs, balconies, terraces, landings, or other parts of a building that have a drop on the other side which would be classed as a hazard and could cause injury. In a typical home, the example you are most likely to encounter is a balustrade on the staircase (often consisting of several upright spindles with a bannister on the top). A glass balustrade, on the other hand, replaces those spindles with glazing, often laminated glass. Like with most glazing products, the design of your glass balustrade can vary immensely, offering you the important choice of ‘framed or not framed’. 

The style and appearance of your glass balustrade can vary considerably, but will likely be – in part – dictated by the UK Building Regulations. It is time to outline how these regulations will apply to your beautiful glass balustrade.

All UK Building Regulations apply to a glass balustrade, but many of them will be irrelevant (for example the parts that focus on fire safety in internal walls). The ones that we will focus on in this article are those concerned with structural integrity and the prevention of injury caused by a lack of it.

Below is a breakdown of the parts of UK Building Regulations that apply.

Approved Document A: Structure

This is the primary piece of legislation governing the design, installation and maintenance of your glass balustrade. Firstly, it outlines when exactly you need to install any kind of balustrade. For example, staircases within a residential building (a dwelling) require a balustrade when the difference in floor level is greater than 600 mm. In all building types (other than a dwelling), a balustrade is needed on a staircase with more than two risers or when the floor is more than 380 mm (whenever one of these criteria applies).

Tied to BS 6180 (Barriers in and About Buildings), Part A also defines the amount of pressure that your glazing should be able to withstand without breaking. The different types of pressure are split into:

• Line Load – The force felt at the top of the balustrade, imitating someone who is leaning heavily on the balustrade, measured in kN/M and governed by EN 1991-1-1
• Uniformly Distributed Load (UDL) – The pressure applied to the mid-section of the balustrade in an equal way. This is measured in kN/M² and is governed by EN 1991-1-4
• Concentrated Load – The pressure exerted on one point in the mid-section of the balustrade, given as kN/M² and also governed by EN 1991-1-1

Balustrades will have different load strength requirements depending on the specific use of the building:

If you install a glass balustrade, it is also important – highlighted within this part of the UK Building Regulations – that the deflection (flex of the glass) is less than 25mm or 1/65th of the glass panel – whichever is less.

Approved Document K: Protection from falling, collision and impact

Approved Document K helps to further identify when a balustrade is needed, focusing on the drop which could lead to injury if a barrier (glass or otherwise) is not in place. Any drop more than 600mm requires a balustrade to be in place. For example, a balcony is usually located much higher than 600mm off the ground. Without a balcony balustrade in place, a person could seriously injure themselves.

As well as defining the height that would require a balustrade, Part K also defines how high above the finished floor level a balustrade should be. Below is a table that we have created to help you understand the height requirements:

If there is any chance that a child will be in the area of your balustrade at any time, it is important that the gap between the glass and frame is less than 100mm to prevent them from slipping through.

Approved Document M: Access to and use of buildings

Part M deserves an ‘honourable mention’ because it may not obviously apply to glass balustrades but is still incredibly important. Part M addresses accessibility. For example, are the handrails that sit on top of the balustrade easily graspable by anyone in the vicinity? Would someone in a wheelchair find the balustrade as easy to use – if needed – as someone who did not require one?

In addition, a glass balustrade must be free from features that impede a person’s passage past if it is to meet the requirements of Approved Document M. For example, a balustrade that has a piece of metal sticking out (perhaps used for shelving) would not be compliant because a person could trip over it and a person in a wheelchair may not be able to fit through.

A glass balustrade does have the accessibly adventitious characteristic of being transparent, allowing a person to be able to see any accessibility hazards through the balustrade. This also contributes to compliance with Part B, concerned specifically with fire safety – because an occupant can easily read relevant signage in the vicinity.

This question is one that we are asked most frequently when it comes to the addition of a glass balustrade. The simple answer is yes, but not when the glass used for the construction of the balustrade would remain in situ when smashed – for example when the balustrade uses laminated glass that can shatter and keep its form. When laminated glass is used, no balustrade is needed.

We hope that we have provided some important information about how the UK Building Regulations relate to glass balustrades. Having ticked the health and safety boxes, you can then move on to the fun bit – designing the balustrade. Our team of glazing specialists are on hand to answer any questions you might have and guide you through the process of creating something special. If you would like to know more, speak to our team today.