Practice Note for Authorized Persons,

Buildings Department Registered Structural Engineers and APP-116

Registered Geotechnical Engineers

Aluminium Windows

Section 3 of the Building (Construction) Regulation (B(C)R) stipulates

that all materials used in building works or street works must be of a nature and quality
suitable for their intended use or purposes; adequately mixed or prepared; and applied,
used or fixed so as to perform adequately their intended functions. These requirements
apply to aluminium windows to be installed in any buildings. This Practice Note for
Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Geotechnical Engineers
(PNAP) specifies the requirements on the design and installation of aluminium windows
to ensure public safety and to prevent water seepage. Compliance with the design and
installation requirements of aluminium windows described in paragraphs 4 to 9 below
will be accepted by the Building Authority (BA) as meeting the provisions of section 3 of
the B(C)R. Any deviations from these requirements have to be separately substantiated
for acceptance.

Structural Submission for Windows

2. For large windows falling within the criteria stipulated in PNAP APP-37,
their structural design should be submitted to the BA for approval in accordance with the
requirements laid down therein. For other windows, authorized persons (AP) and
registered structural engineers (RSE) should ensure that they are properly designed and
installed to meet the performance requirements and the safety standards in the B(C)R
whilst registered contractors (RC) should have experienced and skilled supervisors and
workers as well as suitable quality assurance procedures in place to ensure the proper
installation of the windows. Standards commonly used for the design and construction
of window, which are acceptable to the BA, are given in Appendix A to both PNAP APP-
37 and PNAP APP-53.

Minor Works Relating to Window

3. Under the Minor Works Control System, certain minor building works
relating to the repair and replacement of windows have been designated as minor works
and may be carried out under simplified requirements as an alternative to obtaining prior
approval and consent under the Buildings Ordinance. Reference can be made to Schedule
1 of the Building (Minor Works) Regulation and PNAP APP-147 regarding the list of
minor works items and the simplified requirements respectively.

/Design …
 -2-

Design and Installation Requirements

4. When designing windows, attention should be paid to the requirements on

horizontal imposed loads, protection of openings, function of protective barriers, locking
devices of openable sashes/sub-frames, corrosion protection, quality control of materials
and protection against the spread of fire and smoke between floors.

5. Window members, transoms and mullions together with the glass panes
should be of adequate size and strength taking into consideration the location, height and
orientation of the windows. Window frames should be securely and rigidly fixed in place
to window openings in walls. Where fixing lugs are adopted, they should be of stainless
steel or hot dip galvanised steel having a minimum material thickness of 1.5 mm and be
placed at 300 mm centres maximum. Adequate site supervision should be provided to
check that all the fixing lugs are properly fixed. Where a spacing greater than 300 mm is
proposed, the AP/RSE should satisfy that the performance of the windows including
structural stability and waterproofing would not be compromised.

6. All structural members of a window should have a minimum aluminium

thickness of 2 mm and the depth of the mullion should not be less than 38 mm. Particular
attention should be paid to the fixing details of the hinges. All hinges and fastening
mechanisms adopted in the installation should be able to withstand the positive and
negative pressures due to the design wind conditions when the window is closed and
should be of adequate size and strength commensurate with the size of the window.

7. To ensure the strength and rigidity of windows in general, the width of a

side-hung sash should not exceed 700 mm and the size of a top-hung sash should not
exceed 2.5 m2. Hinges for openable sashes/sub-frames should be adequate in holding the
weight of the sashes/sub-frames.

8. Where 4-bar hinges are adopted, reference should be made to the

Guidelines on Fixing of 4-bar Hinges at Appendix A.

9. For locking devices of openable sashes/sub-frames, its design and

installation requirements are given in PNAP APP-37.

Window Stay

10. Suitably designed window stay can minimise the effect of strong wind on
the durability of hinges and casements.

Cleaning

11. Corrosive agent should not be used for the cleaning of external walls and
windows of buildings upon the completion of building works unless it is thoroughly
washed with clean water immediately after application.

/Water Seepage …
 -3-

Water Seepage

12. Besides safety consideration, water leakage from windows poses undue
nuisance to the occupants. AP and RSE are reminded to bear this in mind when preparing
window design details and RC are reminded that poor workmanship is a major cause of
the problem. Reference may be made to the Guidelines on Prevention of Water Seepage
in New Buildings enclosed in the circular letter dated 7 March 2005 issued by the
Buildings Department.

13. In order to ensure the durability of windows, it is recommended that the

top member of a window frame should have a built-in projecting fin with a drip nose to
prevent water ingress into the window frame/casement so as to minimise the possibility
of corrosion due to accumulation of water. A typical section of the projecting fin is at
Appendix B.

Water Penetration Test

14. It is advisable to perform field water penetration test on the installed

aluminium windows to ensure water tightness and quality of the completed window units.
Some international standard testing methods are given in Annex A of the Code of Practice
for Structural Use of Glass 2018.

15. A similar practice note has been issued to RC.

( YU Tak-cheung )
Building Authority

Ref. : BD GP/BORD/105 (II)

BD GP/BREG/P/38 (II)

This PNAP is previously known as PNAP 248

First issue July 2001
Last revision March 2006
This revision February 2021 (AD/NB1 & AD/NB2) (General Revision)
 Appendix A
(PNAP APP-116)

Guidelines on Fixing of 4-bar Hinges

4-bar hinges shall be manufactured from stainless steel with adjustable

friction shoe, and all stainless steel bars of the hinge shall have a minimum thickness of
2.5 mm. For better corrosion resistance, stainless steel rivets/screws shall be used for
the fixing of hinges and aluminium rivets shall not be used as they tend to corrode. At
least 3 numbers of stainless steel rivets of diameter not less than 4.8 mm or stainless
steel screws of diameter not less than 5 mm shall be used to fix each bottom and top
bars of the hinge to the window frame and the openable sash.

2. As stainless steel hinges and rivets/screws are used in aluminium

window installation, due consideration and measures should be taken to prevent contact
between dissimilar metals.

3. To provide sufficient anchorage for the stainless steel rivet or screw to

fasten the hinge to the window frame and the openable sash, a positive mechanical
fixing, for example by inserting a stainless steel or hot dip galvanised steel plate or
bar/angle of not less than 3 mm thick inside the section to provide sufficient threads for
the screw(s) shall be adopted. A typical example of this arrangement is at Annex I.
As an alternative, the window sections for fixing the hinge may be thickened locally to
not less than 5 mm. A typical example is at Annex II. When insertion of an extra
piece of stainless steel or hot dip galvanised steel bar/angle inside the section or local
thickening to 5 mm is not adopted, the thickness of aluminium sections for fixing the
4-bar hinge shall be substantiated by calculations that it could provide sufficient
anchorage for the stainless steel rivet or screw.

4. The length of the 4-bar hinge should be at least 60% of the width of the
side hung casement window sash.

(Rev. 2/2021)
 Annex I to Appendix A
(PNAP APP-116)

WIDTH OF WINDOW SASH

≦ 700 mm ANGLE
DETAIL A-A
(AT LOCATION D)
WINDOW SASH
S.S. 4-BAR HINGES

HOLE FILLED WITH SEALANT

M5x10 S.S. SCREW

SEALANT
HOLE FILLED WITH SEALANT

S.S. PLATE/BAR
(AT LOCATIONS A, B, C) WINDOW FRAME

ELEVATION SECTION X - X
SIDE HUNG WINDOW WITH S.S. PLATE/BAR AND
ALUMINIUM ANGLE INSERTED FOR FIXING SCREWS

D ANGLE

A B C

LENGTH ≧ 60% OF WIDTH OF WINDOW SASH

A, B, C, E, F – LOCATION FOR SCREW TO WINDOW FRAME/SASH

(LOCAL THICKENING BY S.S. PLATE/BAR)

D – LOCATION FOR SCREW TO WINDOW SASH

(LOCAL THICKENING BY ANGLE)

DETAIL A - A
S.S. 4-BAR HINGE

(Rev. 2/2021)
 Annex II to Appendix A
(PNAP APP-116)

ITEM DESCRIPTION MATERIAL

1 WINDOW SASH ALUMINIUM

2 WINDOW FRAME ALUMINIUM

3 BRASS PLATE BRASS

4 4-BAR HINGE STAINLESS STEEL

M5 x 16mm PAN HEAD
5 MACHINE SCREW, PITCH 0.8mm STAINLESS STEEL

VIEW C
5 mm

SECTION A - A 5 mm

SECTION B - B

VIEW C
WINDOW FIXING

(Rev. 2/2021)
 Appendix B
(PNAP APP-116)

Top Member of Window Frame

with Built-in Projecting Fin

ELEVATION

S.S. 4-BAR HINGE

PROJECTING FIN WITH DRIP NOSE

WINDOW FRAME

WINDOW SASH

SECTION Y - Y

(Rev. 2/2021)