Sutherland Place

Floor glazing and minimally framed sliders installed to a basement renovation

Traditional London townhouses are usually relatively tall but narrow, which can make renovation projects an interesting challenge for many architects. There are some incredibly innovative ways to renovate this type of property, just like this basement renovation at Sutherland Place.

Minimally framed glazing is often the desired choice for the glazing in these properties to encourage maximum levels of natural light into the home. Frameless or minimally framed glazing allows the occupants to build a connection to their outdoor living spaces while brightening up the narrow and dark interior.

Slim framed sliding doors and windows were used on this narrow residential property in London to open up the basement for natural light to penetrate into. Minimal windows® siding doors were also used on the ground floor at the rear of the property. The two-track slim aluminium sliding doors allow the occupants to enjoy step-free access out into their rear garden.

At the rear of this terrace home, the garden can be accessed from the ground floor and basement floor levels through slim framed sliding systems. The basement level accesses a sunken courtyard and overlooks the main stretch of garden. This design helps to allow natural light into the basement through the sunken courtyard.

 

IQ’s slim framed sliding doors were used as rear access to the small garden with frameless glass balustrades lining the way. The stairs from the ground floor lead down into the garden, over the sunken courtyard. For a safety barrier between the floor level change, frameless glass balustrades were installed. Frameless glass balustrades are ideal in this setting as they do not cause any obstruction to the flow of natural light or cause any visual obstruction to the surrounding architecture.

On one side of the sunken courtyard, a two-track sliding door was installed, and opposite this a two-track minimal windows® sliding window allows light into the rooms below the external garden. The slim sliding aluminium window is a sophisticated adaptation of the original minimal windows sliding doors but scaled down to be suitable for use as a window. The slim sliding windows are available with slot aeration; therefore, they provide secure ventilation to the internal living spaces, or they can be fully open during hot days for full ventilation.

To the rooms below the garden, a small sandblasted glass floor light allows natural light down into the rooms alongside the slim framed sliding windows. This is a modern walk on floor light that is installed within the floor of the garden. The sandblasted finish provides privacy to the rooms below, but without reducing the amount of natural light that can pass through the glass.

Installing a floor light and a minimally framed aluminium window together is an excellent way to increase the flow of natural light within an otherwise dark room. This combination helps to connect the basement room to the outdoor environment, as it would otherwise be completely separated from the outdoors.

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