Unique design meets inspiring glazing
Herondale Avenue, London
7 March 2019
We love nothing more than being involved in a project that’s looking for something a little different, so when Stuart Coles of Heronlake Construction got in touch looking for specialist glazing for a project in Wandsworth, South London, we were thrilled to get involved.
The home owners were looking to reinvigorate their home by replacing the existing tired rear extension.
Bringing life to the building
With their love of travel, opera, entertaining and the importance of family friendly space, Chris at One-World Design Architects worked with the home owners to design an innovative, inspiring and unexpected new rear extension.
The extension at Herondale Avenue is designed specifically to bring the garden into the home creating a unique open plan kitchen dining and entertainment space. A quality glazing system has been a key part of this endeavour. Working with the clients our aim has been to bring life to the building, to its roof, walls and a new pond, to create opportunities for increased biodiversity.
Chris at One-World Design.
Softening the disconnect
Key to the overall design, was the desire for the new extension to be seamless in connecting the beautiful lush gardens with the relaxed living space. Often phrases such as ‘indoor-outdoor flow’ are used to describe the connection, however in the case of this project the focus was on softening the disconnect of the two separate spaces by maximising the light and using materials and design techniques to effortlessly blend the look, feel and use of these areas together.
With the overall design agreed, Heronlake Construction were commissioned for the build. Given such a unique design of windows and the overall aesthetic for this project, we were very keen to ensure the optimum glazing solutions were utilised to create the perfect finish. After our initial conversation with Stuart of Heronlake Construction, we knew the best solution for the doors was the Viiu Sliding Door.
The design called for a discreet, minimal frame with the largest possible opening – the glazing needed to be subtle and unobtrusive, which given the scale of the glazing was no mean feat! In recent years there has been a strong trend of choosing bifold doors, however for this project a sliding door provided the best combination of minimal frame to maximum glazing ratio.
Frazer, Exact Architectural Glazing
Ultra-Slim sightlines
As well as the ultra-slim frame achieving a 99% glass / 1% frame sight line, the Viiu Sliding Door features superior hidden hardware providing effortless smooth movement, which is vital for large sliding doors. The inclusion of high security laminated glass, warm edge spacer bar and structural silicone seal also means there’s no compromise when it comes to temperature control and thermal performance.
Projects present a variety of challenges and this one was no exception. The site itself, in close proximity to the neighbouring property, a narrow side access and a fixed gate, meant getting the glazing into position was a delicate operation. With our specialist knowledge and the use of the spider-crane to transport the glazing between the two properties and over the gate, the large bespoke glass panels were safely delivered and installed by our on-site team.
The extension is formed by two half barrel vaulted sedum roofs that create height and the opportunity to bring natural light in via two garden-facing bespoke aluminium windows. The large, 2287 x 933mm, curved windows are positioned effortlessly above the sliding doors, framing the view of the garden and providing shade and shelter.
With an extension of this size and the expanse of glazing, Chris also needed to consider the acoustics, to ensure the open plan kitchen dining area was a calm and serene space. He therefore included an ANS Living Wall spanning from inside to outside which creates a protected habitat for flora, fauna, insects, amphibians and birds as well as adding subtle smells, texture and an overall sense of peace and tranquillity to the area.
We were thrilled to be involved with this inspiring project and to work with Heronlake Construction and One-World Design Architects.
One-World Design are an award-winning architectural practice, who focus on delivering sustainable, elegant and practical solutions for their clients. Find out more about One-World Design.
If you have a project you’d like to discuss with Heronlake Construction, we’d be happy to put you in touch.
Project details:
Glazing solution: Viiu Sliding Door
Sliding Door size: 6540mm x 2405mm (including fixed pane)
Frame colour: Black RAL 9005M
Glass: 8.8/20/8.8, clear, laminated, toughened, LowE, Black Stainless Spacer, Argon-filled double glazing
Glazing solution: Bespoke shape aluminium window
Window size: 2287mm x 933mm
Frame colour: Black RAL 9005M
Glass: 6/16/6 toughened, Planitherm One, double glazing
Glazing solution: Aluminium windows
Window size: 1000mm x 625mm
Frame colour: Black RAL 9005M
Glass: 6/16/6 toughened, Planitherm One, double glazing
Photography: Charlie Round-Turner. Architect one-world design architects
