Princelet Street is the addition of a contemporary rear glass extension to a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse in the heart of Spitalfields, East London. Designed by MacKenzie Wheeler, the project introduces a light‑filled kitchen and dining space while carefully preserving the character and scale of the eighteenth‑century family home. IQ Glass was appointed as the specialist glazing contractor to design, supply and install the architectural glazing for the new extension. Central to the scheme is a pitched structural glass roof and a set of bespoke pivot doors, together forming a highly transparent glass extension in Spitalfields that contrasts clearly with the historic fabric of the building.
Products Used
Featured In
Project Partners
Mackenzie Wheeler Architects
Location
Shoreditch, London
Historic Setting and Planning Constraints in Spitalfields
Princelet Street sits within one of London’s most sensitive historic environments, characterised by narrow plots, Georgian brickwork and listed façades. Any rear extension needed to be visually lightweight while respecting the domestic scale of the existing house and the enclosed nature of the traditional townhouse garden. The brief called for an extension that would enhance natural light and views to the rear elevation without detracting from the original architecture.
A key constraint was how the new structure would connect to the existing building. The extension needed to be structurally independent while appearing visually integrated, with all fixings carefully concealed. Retaining the original garden boundary walls was a priority, allowing them to read internally as exposed brickwork and preserving the character of the historic plot.
Structural Glass Roof Design for a Minimal Rear Extension
IQ Glass designed and installed a dual‑pitch structural glass roof to form the primary enclosure of the extension. The pitched form echoes the proportions of traditional roof structures while allowing the roof to perform structurally as glazing rather than relying on visible framing. Each pitch of the roof spans from the central ridge to the existing walls, creating a symmetrical and balanced form that draws daylight deep into the interior.
The roof was engineered using frameless structural glass panels fixed directly to the surrounding brickwork using concealed fittings. A new internal brick skin was constructed to take the structural load and hide all connections. At the outer edge of the glazing, the glass panels were stepped to create a discreet drip edge, ensuring effective water management while maintaining a clean visual line. The upper section of the glass roof was back‑painted to conceal structure when viewed from above, reinforcing the appearance of a continuous glazed surface.
Bespoke Pivot Doors and Gable End Glazing
At the rear elevation, IQ Glass installed a pair of large custom pivot doors to open the extension fully to the garden. When closed, the doors read visually as a refined glazed façade, only revealing their pivot function when opened. The pivot systems are framed in thermally broken aluminium profiles and finished to match the surrounding metalwork, ensuring consistency across the extension.
Above the doors, a frameless triangular structural glass window was installed to form the gable end of the pitched roof. This bespoke over‑light follows the geometry of the roof structure and allows additional daylight to enter the space from above while maintaining uninterrupted views of the original rear brick façade. Together, the pivot doors and gable glazing create a vertically layered composition of glass that maximises transparency without overwhelming the historic house.
Light, Space and Architectural Contrast
The completed glass extension transforms an area typically underused in Georgian townhouse layouts. The new kitchen and dining space benefits from abundant daylight throughout the day, with the pitched glass roof drawing light deep into the plan. The exposed brick walls retained from the original garden boundaries reinforce the contrast between historic fabric and modern intervention, a relationship central to the success of the design.
By using structural glass and minimal framing, the extension achieves a clearly contemporary identity while remaining deferential to the listed building. This careful balance enhances both the day‑to‑day experience of the home and its long‑term architectural value.
Technical Details
- Contemporary rear glass extension to a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse
- Dual‑pitch structural glass roof spanning approximately 4.5m per pitch
- Each roof pitch measuring approximately 2.7m from ridge to wall with a 20‑degree fall
- Structural glass roof comprising six frameless panels, three per pitch
- Roof panels manufactured from toughened double‑glazed units with laminated inner panes and a low‑e coating
- Individual roof panels weighing approximately 180kg
- Central structural steel beam supporting the ridge of the glass roof
- Hidden structural fixings at wall interfaces, concealed behind a new internal brick skin
- Frameless triangular structural glass gable window above rear doors
- Bespoke thermally broken aluminium pivot doors measuring 1.9m wide x 2.1m tall per leaf
- Overall pivot door opening of approximately 3.8m
- All glazing frames and steelwork finished in PPC RAL 7002 matt
Begin Your Glass Extension in Spitalfields Project
For architects and homeowners planning a glass extension in Spitalfields, Princelet Street demonstrates how structural glass and bespoke doors can be sensitively integrated into a listed Georgian property. IQ Glass provides technical design input, specialist engineering and installation expertise for complex residential glazing projects across London. Contact our team to discuss your project requirements.
