What’s included in the Barrier Height whitepaper?
In an era where balcony safety and usability are under sharper scrutiny, determining what barrier height is truly safe is not as simple as meeting a number. This whitepaper examines the diverse global standards and human factors that shape safety requirements, offering architects, specifiers, and developers clear, data-backed guidance for designing safer balcony guardings.
Key Topics
- Defining what makes a barrier “safe” across different countries and regulations.
- Global comparison of minimum guard heights and their regional variations.
- The influence of anthropometrics (average user height) on barrier design.
- Understanding climbability and child safety, including research insights into real climbing behaviour.
- How adjacent elements — like planters, parapets, and upstands — affect effective barrier height.
- The role of Non-Climbable Zones (NCZs) and BS 8579’s +700 mm rule in ensuring practical safety.
- Considerations for vulnerable groups and contexts such as extra care, student housing, and public terraces.
- Discussion on emerging topics like suicide prevention design in high-rise environments.
Drawing from global standards including BS 8579, Eurocodes, IBC, and NCC, this paper unifies international approaches into a single, accessible framework. Using Sapphire Balconies’ expertise and collaborations with regulatory and design authorities, it brings clarity to one of the most debated aspects of balcony safety.
Is this whitepaper for me?
It’s for you if:
- You are an architect, developer, or specifier aiming to design or retrofit balconies that meet or exceed safety standards.
- You want to understand how height, climbability, and adjacent design elements interact in real-world applications.
- You’re navigating regional compliance challenges for multi-residential, high-rise, or care-based projects.
- You are seeking practical design insights supported by international research and standards.
- You want to ensure that your balcony designs are not only compliant — but genuinely safe and user-conscious.
It’s not for you if:
- Your work does not involve balcony, terrace, or façade safety design.
- You are not required to consider guarding heights, climbability, or fall protection in your projects.
- You already have fixed specifications and are not exploring research-led or cross-regional design practices.
- You are working exclusively on low-rise or non-residential buildings with minimal balcony exposure.
