Gloucester Place

A walk on glass floor installed above a basement living space

This basement extension saw the installation of a large structural glass roof, to create an open, light-filled living space below. The glass ceiling was constructed using toughened glass and a non-slip ceramic coating, to create a walk-on glass structure for the homeowners to access at ground-level outside. 

The extension allowed the homeowners to create a large open plan kitchen and seating space, greatly expanding on the previously cramped, dark basement room. The creation of a new seating space provides an easily accessed space for the family to relax, with the modern interior design drawing on pale greys and whites for the walls, floors and furnishings, in order to reflect the influx of natural light from the glass roof around the room and into the kitchen space behind.  

 

Four sections of toughened laminated structural glass are silicone-jointed together to make up the glass floor. The use of the strengthening laminate interlayer was vital to the design of the glazed structure. It not only ensures that the glass can withstand the weight of regular foot traffic but also means that in the event of glass breakage, any shattered glass is held in place and prevented from falling into the room below, thus ensuring the safety of the home's occupants. 

The glass roof is supported by low iron glass beams, which create a very minimal supporting structure without detracting from the clear glazed facade. The use of low iron glass in the supporting fins ensures that maximum transparency is maintained, as thick sections of glass can take on a strong green tint when viewed from an angle. 

 

The walk-on glass is finished with a non-slip ceramic frit, applied to the external panel of glass. This creates the non-slip external surface, a key element when specifying walk-on glass that can become extremely slippery in wet or icy weather. The white ceramic frit is applied in a non-obtrusive design that doesn't detract from the overall glass design, and maintains transparency through the glass panels, maximising the amount of light that is able to pass through to the living space below. 

The structural glass unit also includes two small aluminium framed venting rooflights at the edge of the glass roof. This allows the homeowners to control the degree of ventilation during the warmer months, thus helping to regulate the internal temperature of the living room. The rooflights are hidden by a laminated cantilevered glass step, which doubles up as an easy access route from the original ground-level door to the new extension.

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