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Luxury Homes
Nomansland

Nomansland is a contemporary new build featuring steel look aluminium glazing in St Albans. The three-storey home uses a combination of fixed and opening systems to establish a consistent industrial design across the entrance, living spaces, balconies, indoor swimming pool and basement.

The architectural glazing package combines double-height steel look windows, slim framed sliding glass doors, open corner configurations, glass balustrades, walk-on floorlights and frameless rooflights. Bespoke glazing bars, colour-matched aluminium flashings and concealed interfaces coordinate the different elements as one architectural composition.

The result is a highly glazed home that balances industrial detailing with natural light, panoramic views and the thermal performance required across several internal environments.

Products Used

Project Partners

Stuart Barr

Location

St Albans

traditional interior design with modern touches and internal glass doors

Coordinating Steel Look Glazing Across a Three-Storey Home

The principal design challenge was to integrate multiple glazing types across three levels without losing the consistent steel look character of the architecture. Double-height glazing beside the timber entrance door establishes this language at the front elevation, with bespoke glazing bars creating the appearance of traditional steel profiles through higher-performance aluminium systems.

Fixed and side-hung windows were combined to preserve the uniform grid while providing controlled natural ventilation. Where the double-height glazing extends across floor levels, bespoke aluminium flashings conceal the intermediate construction and align with the surrounding frame finish.

This coordinated approach allows the steel look aluminium glazing in St Albans to establish a clear architectural identity while responding to different opening, access and ventilation requirements throughout the property.

Open Corner Sliding Doors Connecting the Kitchen and Garden

Multiple sets of slim framed sliding glass doors connect the ground-floor living spaces with the garden and provide access to balconies on the upper levels.

At the open-plan kitchen, the sliding panels move away from the corner junction to create a post-free opening onto the external dining area. This open corner configuration removes the fixed corner support from the aperture and creates the appearance of a floating roof above the opening.

Continuous flooring was used across the internal and external areas to strengthen the transition between the kitchen and garden. When the doors are closed, the slim aluminium profiles maintain wide views without competing with the surrounding steel look glazing.

Marine-Grade Pool Glazing and Internal Steel Look Doors

Slim framed sliding doors were also installed within the indoor swimming pool, where a marine-grade finish was specified to improve durability in the humid environment.

A thermally broken steel look casement door separates the pool from the main house, allowing the two internal environments to be independently controlled while retaining the wider industrial design language.

Internally, steel look doors define spaces such as the wine storage room without preventing daylight from moving through the plan. This extends the external glazing character into the interior while providing the enclosure required between individual rooms.

internal glass doors around a wine cellar with glazing bars for a steel look design

Performance Considerations

Performance detailing at Nomansland needed to respond to external elevations, balcony openings, an indoor swimming pool and below-ground spaces within one glazing package.

The external windows, doors and sliding systems use thermally broken aluminium framing to reduce heat transfer and support consistent internal temperatures. Side-hung windows provide natural ventilation without disrupting the grid of the fixed steel look glazing.

Marine-grade finishes protect the poolside sliding doors against humidity and airborne chemicals. Walk-on floorlights introduce daylight into the basement, while frameless rooflights provide additional overhead light within the open-plan living areas.

Installation also required specialist planning. Wet ground conditions and constrained access along narrow lanes required flatbed vehicles, while a compact crane was used to lower oversized glass into the basement through limited openings.

Technical Details

Slim framed sliding doors: 21mm sightline; max tested sliding pane 8.5m² up to 4m high and 500kg; glass thickness 26–32mm; typical Ug 1.0 W/m²K; typical Uw >1.1 W/m²K; Air Class 4 / Driving Rain Class 7A / Wind Class C4/B5; sound insulation up to 39dB; PAS 24 security
Opening corner glazing: sliding panels move away from the junction to create a post-free corner opening; structural opening designed to remain within ±5mm live-load deflection; continuous flooring used across the kitchen and external dining terrace
Steel look windows and doors: bespoke glazing bars applied across fixed and side-hung aluminium systems; opening windows provide ventilation while maintaining a consistent industrial grid
Swimming pool glazing: sliding doors specified with pre-anodised, marine-grade PPC frames; laminated glazing recommended for installations within 2m of the pool; thermally broken steel look casement door separates the pool environment from the house
Glass balustrades: toughened laminated glass; max thickness 21.52mm; max height 1100mm; max pane width up to 6000mm, project-dependent; line load between 1kN and 3kN according to fixing arrangement
Rooflights and floorlights: thermally broken fixing section; glass thickness up to 37.5mm; expected Uw 1.2 W/m²K; frameless rooflights and walk-on floorlights used to bring daylight into the open-plan and basement spaces

Integrated Glazing for Contemporary New Builds

Nomansland demonstrates how steel look windows, open corner sliding doors, pool glazing and frameless rooflights can be coordinated across a large contemporary home without fragmenting the architectural language.

This approach is suited to architects and specifiers working on multi-level new builds where industrial detailing, large glazed openings, specialist environments and concealed interfaces must be resolved as one technical package.

Planning a project requiring steel look aluminium glazing in St Albans? Contact IQ Glass for technical advice on steel look systems, opening corner sliding doors, swimming pool glazing and specialist rooflight or floorlight details.

Associated Products

Steel Look Internal Windows and Doors

Bespoke steel-look internal doors and partitions with slim glazing bars, delivering the classic Crittall aesthetic in a lightweight, low-maintenance aluminium system.