Specialist structural glazing company for residential projects in London

Why residential projects in London need specialist structural glazing

London residential work covers high-value private homes, mansion blocks, period refurbishments, basement conversions and rear extensions. Structural glass features heavily in these projects because it delivers light and open-plan space without visible framing.

The technical demands are higher than standard glazing.

Sites are often tight, with restricted access, party wall constraints, conservation requirements and limited storage. Craning large glass units into a rear garden or a constrained street frontage takes planning.

Glass used structurally also has to be sized and specified for the loads it will carry, whether that is a balustrade resisting barrier loading or a walk-on floor carrying pedestrian traffic. Getting the specification wrong is expensive to correct once glass is fabricated.

Structural glass products for residential work

Glasstec supplies a full range of structural glazing services relevant to residential projects. The most commonly specified on London homes are:

• Frameless glass extensions and glass links for rear and side extensions and connections between structures
• Glass balustrades for staircases, landings, balconies and Juliet balconies
• Walk-on glass for floors and rooflights that bring daylight into basements and lower ground floors
• Glass canopies for entrances and covered outdoor areas
• Glass roofs and rooflights for extensions and infills
• Structural glazing for large-span facades and glazed elevations
• Glass partitions for open-plan interiors and room division
• Fire rated glass for doors, screens and partitions where compartmentation is required
• Glass showers and bathroom glazing for high-specification residential fit-outs
• Glass shop fronts for mixed-use and ground-floor commercial units within residential schemes

What main contractors get from working with Glasstec

For a main contractor, the value of a structural glazing specialist is in reducing risk on a package that sits outside most contractors’ in-house expertise. Glasstec provides design support from concept stage, so buildability issues are resolved before glass is ordered rather than discovered on site.

Taking the glazing package on a design-and-build basis gives the contractor a single point of responsibility for design, fabrication and installation. Glasstec coordinates with other trades on site, works around programme constraints and manages the interface between the glass and the surrounding structure, which is where most problems on glazing packages arise.

The company is CHAS accredited and works to conform with the relevant UK Building Regulations. At the core of the business are Lauren and Laurence Cass, who between them have decades of experience in the glass industry and long-standing relationships with architects, contractors and other industry professionals.

Compliance and specification considerations

Structural glass on residential projects is governed by several parts of the Building Regulations and a set of British Standards. Getting the specification right at design stage avoids abortive fabrication.

• Part K and BS 6180 govern barrier loadings for balustrades. Glass barriers usually require toughened and laminated glass, with thickness and fixing determined by the applied load and whether a handrail is present.
• Part B covers fire safety. Where glazing forms part of a fire compartment or protected escape route, fire rated glass with the correct integrity and insulation rating is required.
• Part L covers thermal performance. External glazed elements such as roofs, extensions and facades need to meet the relevant U-value targets, which affects the glass build-up and sealed unit specification.
• Overhead and walk-on glazing uses laminated construction so that, if the glass breaks, it is retained rather than falling. Walk-on units are also specified for slip resistance and the imposed floor loading.
• Canopies and roofs require structural calculations for wind and snow loading, particularly on exposed or elevated London sites.

Glasstec advises on these points during design so the specification is right before anything is fabricated. This matters most to the contractor, because a glass unit that fails to meet a loading or fire requirement cannot be adjusted on site.

Case study: entrance canopy at Highbury House, Arsenal FC

Glasstec was appointed to design and build a new entrance canopy with automated sliding doors at Highbury House, the administrative hub for the Emirates Stadium complex in North London. Although a commercial building, the project shows the design-and-build capability that transfers directly to complex residential work.

The programme was tight, with 16 weeks to complete design, manufacture and installation. The new structure had to interface with existing curtain walling, which meant modifying the design as the project progressed, and the working space was small enough to require continuous coordination with other trades.

Glasstec managed this through regular design meetings with the client, internal design teams and other trades, and delivered to the handover deadline. The same discipline around programme, coordination and buildability applies on constrained London residential sites.

Click here to read the full case study

Working with Glasstec on your next London residential project

Glasstec Systems is based in Essex and works on residential and commercial glazing projects across London and the surrounding area. The team handles projects of all sizes and levels of complexity, from a single frameless balustrade to a full glazed extension or rooflight package.

If you are specifying or pricing structural glazing for a residential project in London, contact Glasstec Systems to discuss the design and delivery of your glass package, or view the full range of structural glazing services to see how the team can support your build.