Common balcony
A balcony is: ‘An external platform at an upper floor level with a balustrade to the open sides projecting from or recessed from an external wall and including in this definition generally accessible rooftop terraces and galleries and loggia.’ Ref International Property Measurement Standards (IPMS): Residential Buildings, published by the International Property Measurement Standards Coalition (IPMSC) in September 2016.
Approved document B, Fire Safety, Volume 2, Buildings other than dwellinghouses (2019 edition), defines a common balcony as:
‘A walkway, open to the air on one or more sides, that forms part of the escape route from more than one flat.’
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Balcony.
- Building evacuation.
- Common area.
- Common facilities.
- Common stair.
- Escape route.
- Evacuating vulnerable and dependent people from buildings in an emergency FB 52.
- Exit passageway.
- Fire door.
- Firefighting route.
- Means of escape.
- Protected escape route.
- Protected stairway.
- Storey exit.
- Unprotected escape route.
- Vomitory.
- Width of doors stairs and escape routes.
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Construction Management, 8 July
NEETs crisis drives interest in trades, but apprenticeships barriers remain.
Passive fire protection webinar
MEP services penetration seals.
Where its at podcast (and video) - The role of the Architectural Technologist as an Expert Witness.
More than 200 remarkable buildings added to SAVE’s Buildings at Risk register.
Government scraps pre-application consultation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Historic England and infrastructure
New projects offer opportunities for the historic environment and local communities.
Construction Management, 2 July
Construction deaths halve in two years.
Green Book changes to drive investment in all parts of UK.
Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES)
CIAT briefing on response to consultations for privately rented non-domestic properties.
Connect, collaborate, shape the future
Registration now live for UK Construction Week Birmingham.
CIOB announces Saul Humphrey FCIOB as new President for 26/27 term.
A quick, simple, and zero-bills solution to prevent overheating.

















