St Andrew Undershaft Church, London

Glass Balustrades, Secure Glass Doors

Project

Straight and Curved Glass Balustrades, Frameless Glass Doors into a Stone Arch, Structural Window Guards.

Overview

St Andrew Undershaft Church is located in the centre of London at the foot of the iconic Gherkin. Originally built in medieval times in 1147 and subsequently rebuilt three times the current building was constructed in 1532.

The Undershaft was recently redeveloped as a formal meeting place whilst maintaining the historical features of the building. The project included the construction of a raised platform at one end of the nave, with facilities underneath.

Ion Glass were commissioned to supply the church with extensive glass balustrading on the new raised floor and staircase, with a number of glass window panel guards to protect the ancient stained glass windows. Ion Glass also provided internal glass entrance doors built into a stone arch and linked to the building’s alarm system.

Technical Information

The main glass balustrade has no handrail, in accordance with the client’s requirement for a clean and contemporary finish. To meet loading requirements the glass is 21.5mm thick, laminated and toughened. Ion Glass designed and developed a unique system of single point 75mm stainless steel bolts to provide a stylish and functional system for fixing the glass balustrade across the front edge of the gallery. The raw edging of the floor is obscured by an opaque white film applied directly to the glass.

Bespoke stainless steel handrails for the staircase were designed and commissioned by Ion Glass and bolted to the glass balustrade on both sides of the staircase and the stone columns.

The structural glass window panels sit in front of stone mullions around ornamental stained glass windows. Ion Glass created bespoke stainless steel plates to fix to the structure, utilising spider fixing to stand the glass off the stone.

As the floors was built around the stone columns, Ion Glass also made thin glass slips around 4.5 metres high, to go right from the ground to form part of the glass balustrade. As they were exceptionally long and thin, the glass slips were set into stainless wall channels, fully meeting loading requirements.

The internal glass entrance doors were set into a stone archway. A stainless steel transom, housed the upper pivot point for the pivot doors which was also a fixing point for the maglock to allow the doors to be locked as part of the church alarm system.

The side panels and arched over panel are all fixed glass, accurately shaped to the stone and clamp fixed in place

  • The overall result is fantastic, it gives the Undershaft a modern feel without detracting from the historical aspect of the building.

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