How high must a balcony railing be in Singapore?
BCA's acceptable solution requires a barrier where there is a vertical drop of 1.0 m or more, and the barrier must be at least 1.0 m high, measured from the finished floor level. If a kerb, ledge or flat surface larger than 150 mm by 150 mm is provided next to the barrier, the height is measured from its top. There are also anti-climbing rules based on toeholds.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Tempered Glass Breakage and Glass Railings in Singapore: Nickel Sulphide, Heat-Soak Testing and BCA Barrier Rules. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Tempered glass can shatter without impact, months or years after installation, when a tiny nickel sulphide inclusion expands inside the glass. Heat-soak testing to EN 14179-1 reduces but does not eliminate this risk. In Singapore, BCA's acceptable solution requires glass in barriers to be laminated, barriers to be at least 1.0 m high, and tempered glass at height 2.4 m or more to be protected.
More questions on this topic
- Why did my tempered glass shatter when nobody touched it?
- Does heat-soak testing make tempered glass safe?
- Must glass balustrades in Singapore be laminated?
- Is laminated glass the same as tempered glass?
- Who is responsible for a cracked glass balustrade in a condo?
- Does the Periodic Façade Inspection cover glass?