Our Aluminium Plank Systems are ideal for both refurbishments and new projects. Being A1 or A2 fire-rated with superior spanning capabilities and slip resistance, they are the perfect solution for your needs.
This innovative feature allows you to customise your Aluminium Balustrade and Stainless Steel Balustrade with ease. Select from a variety of stanchions, connectors, fixings, and infills to create a product tailored to the specific needs of your projects.
Design and manufacturing know-how
In 2022, Neaco celebrated its 50th birthday. We’ve invested in technical design and product development across five decades in construction. We cover every stage of development under one roof, from technical support to manufacturing and installation.
Neaco brings that knowledge, commercial awareness and expertise to every project. We offer advice, suggestions and trouble-shooting solutions which transform specifications and often influence the direction of the wider project.
We’ve been ahead of the curve on regulatory standards and best practices, advocating non-combustible balcony solutions long before post-Grenfell laws made them mandatory.
Many manufacturers and suppliers simply don’t have that experience to draw on. There are no shortcuts to gaining 50 years’ worth of know-how.
Value across the supply chain
The raw figures of a quotation never tell the whole story. When managing the overall cost of a project, there’s a big difference between the price of an individual product and the value it brings to the rest of the supply chain.
For example, Neaco’s modular systems are designed for fast, fuss-free installation. Reducing time on site reduces reliance on expensive ancillary services (e.g. scaffolding) which can add up to huge savings.
Our decking is manufactured from lightweight aluminium and designed for outstanding load-bearing capacity, requiring much less supporting steelwork for balcony applications. That’s another significant cost saving which you won’t see at the bottom of a quotation document.
Neaco is competitive on price, but our solutions also deliver outstanding added value across the construction timeline.
Data-driven for instant compliance
Neaco’s product development is driven by performance data, compliance and best practice. Our standardised modular systems have already been fully tested to meet project requirements, with all third-party data and supporting documents instantly available to confirm compliance with Building Regulations and industry guidance.
Contrast that with a bespoke fabricated solution which has never been tested for project requirements and has no historical data. The answer has to be tested from scratch, causing a major delay in lead times and impacting the progress of a project.
Our ready-made compliance provides total peace of mind and streamlines design and specification.
Sustainability credentials
Everything about Neaco, from design principles to manufacturing processes, serves sustainable development and carbon reduction. Our pre-engineered modular systems tick every box: 100% recyclable materials, virtually zero waste, minimal time and environmental impact on site, reduced energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint from transportation. Our products have played a key role in countless projects which have won sustainability awards or received BREEAM Outstanding ratings.
Made and sourced in the UK
We manufacture all our products in our 52,500-square-foot facility in North Yorkshire. We also source 100% of our raw materials in the UK, supporting other British businesses and protecting ourselves from global supply chain issues and spiralling energy prices which have driven up the cost of international logistics. We can keep our transportation costs down and our lead times fast.
At Neaco, we’re proud to call ourselves a company which combines over 50 years of heritage with a forward-thinking, innovative approach which meets the demands of today’s construction industry and supports a better future for our planet.
With five decades of experience behind us, we are years ahead of our competitors on every metric that matters.
Many existing residential buildings feature balcony elements which do not meet the Euroclass A1 (non-combustible) or A2-s1, d0 (limited-combustible) rating necessary to meet compliance due to the Building Safety Act 2022. Manufactured from recycled aluminium and zinc-coated steel, this pedestal is Euroclass A1 fire rated to comply with Building Regulations on buildings over 18m in height. These pedestals also have a large spreader base that won’t compromise insulation or waterproof membrane being the ideal pedestal system Neaco’s Neatdek aluminium decking that can be laid directly on top of the pedestal and affixed securely in place.
With an in-built slope corrector which allows up to 5% of millimetre-precise correction, the Adjustable Pedestal aids the installation of raised flooring, avoiding the cost and delay of constructing a sub-frame on uneven or unstable groundworks. It easily compensates for slight irregularities and any gradients on the laying surface, creating a perfectly stable and flat application which allows the laying surface and any installed services to be accessed and maintained without causing damage.
“The whole pedestal range is non-combustible and is classified Euroclass A1 to BS EN 13501-1:2018. This feature is vital to complement other products in our range, including our decking and balustrade, which are A1 or A2 rated to ensure compliance with regulations for balconies and rooftop terraces on high-rise buildings. The pedestals also match the outstanding corrosion resistance and durability of our established products. They will work seamlessly with our aluminium modular decking, which is renowned for its fast installation, ensuring that we can further reduce the time spent on site for the benefit of project managers and contractors.”
– Alan Green, Managing Director at Neaco
Compression Test Load testing has been performed on the pedestals to 6 tons and we certify to over 3 tons per pedestal. They have a breaking load of over 2000kg and have a height adjustment of 24mm up to 395mm. The pedestals require a Bubble Level to determine the amount of slope correction required as the main feature is their slope correction. We can provide a locking key to secure the position for use in high-traffic environments.
The current challenges in the economy will not be considered an admissible excuse for any further delay in remediation. Having been reappointed as communities secretary, Michael Gove signalled his determination to resolve safety issues, saying that it “cannot be the case that economic conditions, which affect us all, are being used by developers, or anyone else, to shuffle off their obligations. There are some freeholders – organisations of significant means – that are, again, trying to delay or dilute their responsibilities. That is simply not acceptable.”
The government has made its long-term intentions clear with the introduction of the Building Safety ushering in a new era of stricter oversight, with widespread implications. According to the government, it “will place legal responsibilities on those who commission building work, participate in the design and construction process and those who are responsible for managing structural and fire safety in higher-risk buildings when they are occupied. These people will be called duty holders during design and construction, and Accountable Persons when the building is occupied.”
Residents will have greater power to hold developers to account and tougher sanctions will be imposed on those who compromise safety. A new Building Safety Regulator will drive the reform and oversee the “safety and performance of all buildings” including a new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings. The regulator will also support and promote competence among the built environment industry, and registered building inspectors.
Organisations and individuals in the construction and property sectors will be keen to make sure they are meeting their legal responsibilities when the legislation comes into effect. As the central cause of the Grenfell tragedy, cladding has received the most scrutiny in the past five years. Building Regulations introduced in 2018 banned the use of combustible materials in external wall systems over 18m in height, but it is often overlooked that the same legal requirements apply to balconies. Like cladding, balcony components require a minimum A2 rating under the Euroclass fire safety classification which is referenced in current regulations.
Many existing residential buildings feature balcony elements such as flooring which do not meet the Euroclass A1 (non-combustible) or A2-s1, d0 (limited-combustible) rating necessary to meet compliance. Common materials such as composite decking and wood are no longer considered safe, but in many cases, they have not yet been replaced. Given the lack of attention and discussion afforded to balconies in comparison to cladding, the upgrading of non-compliant balcony materials is likely to have progressed even slower than the much-criticised cladding replacement programme.
Sporadic incidents continue to remind us that the problem has not been fully addressed. At the time of writing (November 2022), this month alone there have been reported outbreaks of fire on balconies at high-rise buildings in Edinburgh and Roehampton.
A solution has emerged which makes the process of meeting compliance straightforward: aluminium has now become the material of choice for decking and other balcony components such as railing or stanchions. Uncoated aluminium is A1 rated and coated aluminium is A2 rated, subject to correct application by the manufacturer.
This versatile metal offers a wide range of additional benefits, including an ability to accommodate bespoke-engineered features such as anti-slip surfaces. One-third of the weight of steel yet high in load-bearing capacity, aluminium requires less supporting steelwork, which significantly reduces costs and installation time. It also offers outstanding sustainability credentials including 100% recyclability, zero corrosion and a recognised design life of at least 60-100 years.
