Glass balustrades are a hugely popular option for modern decorative home design, adding a sleek and sophisticated feel to any space. They are particularly suitable for balconies, staircases, swimming pools and many other areas that could benefit from a secure and practical decorative element. Glass balustrades not only look great, but they also make your space appear larger as they create a clear border that makes the area seem more open and spacious. This is a feature that cannot be achieved with a traditional wooden or chrome bannister and is one of the main reasons why glass balustrades are so popular.
Glass is also incredibly strong, and this is an important consideration when selecting the type of glass for a balcony or other safety-critical feature. Modern tempered glass is extremely hard to break, and even if it does shatter, it won’t turn into sharp, dangerous shards as would be the case with metal. It’s important to discuss this aspect of glass with your supplier as they will be able to offer advice and guidance on the best choice for your project.
The type of glass for a balustrade should also be able to handle the load requirements, which will differ depending on the building and its use. As a general rule of thumb, domestic glass balustrades should be able to withstand 0.74 kN/m for every metre of glass infill. This is based on the principle that the glass must be capable of withstanding evenly distributed load and concentrated load, meaning it can cope with both the weight of people walking over the glass at any point and the impact from sudden pressures such as sudden jumps or falls.
Morn Building Materials, a turnkey facade materials supplier, can provide structural glass for your project that will meet all these requirements and more. They are a leading glass suppliers and can offer toughened glass in a range of thicknesses, including 10,12,15 and 19mm. This can be finished with various surface treatments, such as silk screen printing to give the glass more patterns and anti-reflective coating to increase its visual light transmittance.
There are also a number of different ways to install your glass balcony, but the most common is a frameless system which fixes the glass panels to the side of the slab using stainless steel stand off fixings. This is generally a preferred solution for residential projects because it’s both cost effective and looks great, although it’s vital that the system you select has been designed by experienced structural glass specialists and is tested to ensure it can withstand the required load.
Another method is to fix the glass panels into a steel railing system, which is a more expensive and labour-intensive option. However, this can also look very attractive and will complement a wide variety of architectural styles, and it is an excellent choice for commercial buildings that require a safe but stylish balcony. The railing system can be either a continuous handrail or a series of posts with handrails attached to them.