Creating a Signature Design Element with a Shaped Structural Glass Link
The glazed extension itself runs along the side return and across the rear of the house, establishing an expansive openplan kitchen and living space. Its language is unmistakably contemporary: sharply detailed junctions, fullheight glass elevations, and a sculptural roof formed almost entirely of structural glazing. Yet these interventions remain calm and recessive, allowing the Edwardian character of the house to remain legible.
The structural glass link IQ Glass created, connecting the house to the rebuilt garage and utility spaces, is a defining architectural element of the renovation. To pedestrians, it appears only as a narrow vertical slot of glass — but internally, this section opens into a dramatic segmentshaped volume formed by a shaped structural glass roof supported on lowiron glass beams. The glass envelope rises above the main living area, capturing southern sunlight from above and drawing it deep into the new social spaces.
The roof over the side return is one of the most technically ambitious aspects of the project. Unlike a flat or planar rooflight, the structural glass roof is shaped, expanding as it moves from the front of the house towards the rear. Supported by lowiron glass beams, it creates a pure glass envelope with minimal visible steelwork. This design not only maximises daylight but also resolves the irregular geometry of the site, turning spatial constraints into a distinctive architectural feature.
To prevent overheating — a concern in highly glazed extensions — the roof incorporates a solar control coating, ensuring comfortable internal conditions throughout the year. All glazing elements are doubleglazed with lowE coatings and argonfilled cavities, supporting high thermal performance.
A Fully Glazed Corner: Opening the House to the Garden
One of the most transformative features of the design is the sliding glass door configuration at the rear. IQ Glass designed and installed a slim sliding door system that opens at the corner, dissolving the 90degree meeting point between two elevations. When retracted, the entire corner disappears, leaving a completely open aperture that removes the visual boundary between inside and out. This is a defining detail of the glass extension in Dulwich, shifting the atmosphere of the home from enclosed to expansive.
Slim sliding doors were also installed along the side of the extension, beneath the structural glass roof, maintaining the minimal design (and ensuring that daylight enters the space from multiple directions) and providing access to the small and sheltered side patio area additional views toward the garden. Even when closed, the minimal sightlines create the impression of a seamless elevation.
The glazing, sliding door pressings and aluminium casement doors to the utility areas were all finished in RAL 7016 anthracite grey, creating a unified architectural palette throughout the extension.
The success of this glass extension in Dulwich relied on balancing transparency with subtlety. From the street, the addition is deliberately understated. Only a slender strip of frameless structural glazing hints at the newly created internal volume tucked behind the original façade. This discreet architectural move was a key factor in securing planning approval where earlier attempts had failed.
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