Every construction project presents a unique set of structural questions, for example, related to how to design reliable column connections or how to integrate safe and energy-efficient balcony connections. Construction products connect constructions like columns, walls, or balconies, and hence, technical challenges are relevant. These products often have approvals and include specific verifications that are not always covered by standards alone.
Peikko Designer® software answers these challenges with a suite of applications for structural design. Developed with customer needs in mind, free of charge, and based on internationally recognized standards, it helps engineers combine safety, efficiency, and flexibility in their daily work.
Because Peikko Designer® operates in the cloud, every project is automatically updated and accessible from anywhere. Reports include not only final results but also intermediate calculations and design principles — making external checking straightforward and strengthening trust in the design.
In this article, we follow a structural designer through an architecturally ambitious building project, highlighting how the new, cloud-based BOLTED CONNECTION and BALCONY CONNECTION modules provide both clarity and compliance. With frequently asked questions and solutions to them, we tackle challenges that many designers commonly face in their daily work.
Designing column connections with BOLTED CONNECTION
Let’s start from the beginning. Column connections secure the building to its foundation and ensure safety and stability.
“How can I be sure my column connections comply with Eurocodes from the very start?”
The BOLTED CONNECTION module is based on ETA assessments and Eurocode EN 1992-1-1. It includes more than ten national annexes, with fire design according to EN 1992-1-2, and ACI 318 support coming soon.
3D view of grout once it has been selected.
“What if the column or support geometry is not standard — rotated, polygonal, or asymmetric?”
The application allows any cross-section geometry to be free-form. Column shoes and anchors can be placed without restrictions, ensuring flexibility for non-standard designs. Furthermore, you can design the bolts tailor-made, with any length needed or even bent bolts – no need to settle for standard solutions.
3D view of polygonal Support once it has been selected.
“How do I account for torsion and complex load cases?”
Axial, shear, bending, and torsional forces can be combined, while user-defined partial factors enable project-specific safety margins. The supplementary reinforcement is automatically calculated, which saves your precious time. The application enables quick and simple input of load combinations at once.
Customized HPM39L-800 anchor bolt selected.
“Will my results stand up to review?”
Every calculation step is transparent. Different failure modes, such as cone failure, are clearly visualized in 3D, instructing users on how the concrete could crack and guiding them on where to add supplementary reinforcement, for example. Reports show not only final capacities but also intermediate values and formulas, making external checks straightforward.
Surface rebar placement in the Stadium-shaped Support.
Project impact
With Peikko Designer® BOLTED CONNECTION, you confirm that each column shoe and anchor bolt placement satisfies both structural and fire design criteria. A detailed PDF report shared with the project team ensures clarity and is easily understood.
"This application was designed with maximum flexibility in mind, enabling users to create non-standard connections in a standard way,” explains Slavomir Matiasko, Product Manager."
Enhanced hollow cones in 3D with more detailed results for the active rebars.
Integrating balconies with BALCONY CONNECTION
Balcony connection products are interface products that, in addition to load transfer, must also meet building physics requirements such as thermal insulation. Let’s see how to ensure that static properties are considered.
"How to handle complex balcony connection forces?"
The BALCONY CONNECTION application starts with the integration of TEBEA® Thermal Break Elements, engineered to resist all relevant forces, including shear and bending. The design values are derived from characteristics verified in ETA 23/0525 and Eurocode. With the integrated FEM calculation module, designers automatically receive the correct TEBEA® types that match their balcony design requirements—making the process significantly faster and more efficient."
“How can I select the right balcony connection for any shape or load?”
The BALCONY CONNECTION design application offers the option to select various balcony shapes, including cantilevered balconies, corner balconies, loggias, and supported balconies. The user can adjust their geometry according to the connection requirements. In addition, the user has the option to consider recesses or additional loads, such as railing loads. It is even possible to place fillers in each length or use other connectors, such as the TEBEA® module for horizontal loads, which is well-suited for seismic areas. All in all, the user gains a lot of flexibility in a few steps, which helps them achieve the best possible TEBEA® types.
Geometry of balcony slab: outer corner balcony. Placing the connectors to the layout.
“Are there options for different project types?”
With a variety of possible TEBEA® modules, the design software covers slab-to-wall and slab-to-slab balconies, suitable for both precast and cast-in-place structures. Besides, for precast balconies, you can also create the design for the lifting area with lifting anchors included, which gives you flexibility and helps to see the big picture. Optional linear or punctual alignment speeds up your work.
Additional loads. User can define basic loads and additional loads (permanent and variable) that are affecting the balcony slab.
“What makes the BALCONY CONNECTION special?”
The application is intuitive and easy to use. The developers and programmers of this application placed great emphasis on providing the user with the best possible interface while simultaneously implementing all critical content from the user's perspective. It is essential that the user receives the best possible results quickly and safely, with simple steps tailored to their requirements, and that these are clearly outlined in the project documentation, including a bill of materials and project information.
Slab-to-wall balcony support type.
Project impact
By selecting the appropriate model of the TEBEA Thermal Break Element, you can ensure not only structural safety but also compliance with energy efficiency standards. The application automatically produces documentation for specification and tendering.
“The new BALCONY CONNECTION application was created in parallel with the development of the TEBEA® Thermal Break Element, which was launched in early 2025. This demonstrates the agility and dynamic approach of Peikko’s development teams, as well as our constant drive for improvement”, describes Seref Diler, Product Manager.
Reflect on your work with confidence
Peikko Designer® is built on a simple idea: every engineer’s question deserves a clear and code-compliant answer. With the BOLTED CONNECTION and BALCONY CONNECTION applications, even complex projects can be designed faster, safer, and with complete transparency. These new cloud-based applications are available anywhere with you, ready to use and automatically up-to-date, with no need to download anything.
“The development and improvement of design tools needs to be based on the user needs – it is the only way to make them stand the time and use. Before launching, our software is tested by a large group of internal and external users worldwide. Having our customers' real daily challenges as a starting point for our development work is the only way to answer them, concludes Markus Tuuri, Product Owner at Peikko’s software team.
Curious to learn more about our solutions to help designers’ daily work? Visit our website.
This article was originally published in Peikko’s customer magazine Connections 2026.