Architects Datafile - Inspirational Glass
Peter Hazeldean, Managing Director of glass specialist ION Glass, advises on the versatility of glass, which can provide anything from hotel foyers or leisure areas, to frameless shower enclosures, walls, staircases and furniture.
The versatility of glass in interior design has never been in question. With today's technology the possibilities are endless. With space a luxury in many modern environments, glass presents the perfect solution by opening up interiors, and allowing light to flow within buildings. Glass can be perceived as a fragile material yet, when correctly specified, becomes extremely durable, structural and safe.
From partitioning and shower enclosures to wall cladding and bar counters, glass adds a touch of real style to give every area a chic, contemporary and upmarket look.
Advances in processes have increased both the finishes available, and the integrity of the glass itself. Use glass to build stairways for a stunning modern look that lets light flow through spaces, and between floor levels, or minimises the intrusion of a staircase built within a room. A glass balustrade allows a light open feel that nevertheless retains the safety levels and security of solid panels. Buildings with dark spaces can be opened up by letting fixed glass panels into the flooring to allow light into the room below.
Whilst the finished effect is superb, the problems many people encounter when designing with glass is that technically it is very demanding. You can't shave 5mm off a piece of toughened glass to get it to fit, and if a wall is even slightly out of true it needs very careful measurement, or indeed full templating before ordering the glass. Of course one wrong move by untrained fitters, and hundreds (or even thousands] of pounds worth of glass can be shattered.
In fact, some glass companies appear to have addressed the problems experienced by many architects and interior designers, setting themselves apart by providing a fully bespoke one-stop service aimed at meeting almost any glass requirement.
It's the more difficult installations that provide the most exciting challenges for glass companies. For example, a recently built spiral staircase in a penthouse suite in London. An accurate spiral template had to be produced to ensure it would work in situ with specially fabricated curved glass. There were a few tense moments but it fitted perfectly and looked absolutely fantastic. The involvement with the glass company at all stages of the process, from providing technical expertise at the initial design stage to installing the finished product had huge benefits. Once the designs have been agreed there are times when the technical requirements of the glass have been overlooked - for instance the logistics of getting huge single panels of glass through buildings - or the sheer weight of glass doors.
Whilst the simple clarity and elegance of clear glass is perfect in situations where you want to maximise the levels of light available, glass has a wealth of qualities that make it the best choice in areas that you want to flood with colour, or where you want an easy to maintain, durable and contemporary finish.
Glass wall cladding is available in the full range of RAL and Pantone shades and gives a finish that is smooth, waterproof, heat-resistant and irresistibly stylish. Whilst it is ideally suited to kitchens and bathrooms, it is widely used to create minimalist interiors with unashamed splashes of pure colour, back lit with great success in contemporary bars and hotels.
Glass wall cladding is becoming hugely popular with top interior designers. Almost any shade in colour coated glass can provide a stunning look to walls and surfaces within interiors. Colour coated glass can be used in bathrooms with great effect. The custom finishes that can be achieved with sand blasted doors, mirrors and colour coated glass wall cladding, gives designers endless possibilities for interior design projects.
Bathrooms are an area where glass companies can offer an even more specialist service - building fabulous wholly frameless glass shower enclosures to individual requirements. Each shower should be made to measure and for more complex installations a full
MDF template can be constructed. 'To lose the frame and retain a waterproof finish, one has to ensure the frame fits properly, this is one area where corners cannot be cut, literally! In this instance using a bespoke service means you can fit oversized enclosures, tuck a shower under a sloping ceiling, around the end of a bath, or against out of true walls.
Glass is a feature in most of today's buildings and the scope of its use is truly immense. The only thing holding us back is our imagination, as talented glass companies are available to take up the challenge.
