The wide variety of specialist types of glass allow glass to be incorporated in many different elements of a building or refurbishment project. Specialist properties of the glass such as structural strength, fire resistance, aesthetic appeal and transparency to light allow glass to add a distinctive twist to a project.
The picture above shows how glass can be used to greatly improve the look of a finished project. Shown is a glass summer house with glass balustrade and outside a glass floor/walk on skylight with another glass balustrade leading into the main building. For more pics of this project see the gallery on our specialist glass projects page.
Some of the best places to include a specialist glass project in your refurbishment include:
Sliding glass partitions, fixed glass partitions and glass summer houses
A sliding glass partition or fixed glass partition wall give a contemporary or period building a sophisticated and modern edge, they both allow more light to reach throughout a building and increases the feeling of spaciousness and openness in any building design. Taking this approach a step further, as in the glass summer house shown above, a building can be fully enclosed in glass giving a very open plan and light feeling to the building.
Glass partitions sit well with other specialist glass structures such as glass balustrades and glass tables and so they are often used alongside these in a building design to create a feeling of continuity.
Often reinforced glass is needed if a partition is to be installed, this is because the glass needs to withstand a minimum impact level to meet building regs approval. As reinforced glass is fairly heavy it will often need a bespoke sliding mechanism to support the partition. Specialist easy to open and close gliding mechanisms exist for practically every weight of partition installation, so although the partition may be heavy, it is still very easy to open and close.
Glass partition can also be used to help meet building regs with regard to retaining a 30 minute fire proof building exit. Very little light may reach an enclosed staircase, but if a glass partition is used safety regs can still be met while maintain a good level of light and an open plan feeling. Check our gallery for some examples of sliding glass partitions.
Glass floors, reinforced supporting or structural glass
A reinforced glass floor can be used to add a feature of interest and allow light to reach into a lower room. The size of a single pane of glass can be up to around 6m2, but the cost and thickness of glass needed to achieve this area is proportionally more than a smaller 2m2 or 3m2 glass floor. Ultimately any sized floor can be created if a supporting lattice work of steel is used to support separate panes of reinforced glass.
Glass balustrades, curved glass balustrades and glass staircases
A glass balustrade is functional but again allows an open plan feeling. They can be curved, straight and can combined with stainless steel, wood or other materials to add continuity to a design. It is also possible to construct glass staircases which offer the ultimate in a light and open appearance as well as adding a special feature to a room.
Glass tables, glass shelves and decorative glass sculptures
Glass can be used to create many decorative features throughout a build, including tables, shelves and ornate sliding partitions. Combined with careful lighting these can be striking features in any room. Lit glass sculptures can be installed in walls and back lit to create an eye catching feature.
We work along with a specialist glass installer to achieve the best in distinctive and stylish projects including. Click here to see some specialist glass projects.
