Kestrel Aluminium Systems’ doors were chosen for an impressive installation on the 4th floor terrace of a commercial office building in the heart of Manchester’s professional district.
Architectural glass specialists Contemporary Glass Structures were chosen to manufacture and install a flush glazed mirror door into the property as part of an extensive renovation project. They were approached by the main contractor because of their experience in frameless structural glass products.
Contemporary Glass Structures’ Andy Howells says: “The client wanted the door to almost disappear within the external glass façade. The contractor’s curtain wall supplier could only do a standard framed door, which was not what the architect and client wanted.”
Drawing on their experience in the fenestration industry, Contemporary offered a bespoke solution and specified Kestrel Aluminium’s residential door system as the base for the project.
The geometry of the door hinges gave the best external glass-to-glass gap at the hinge position, without the glass on the door leaf clashing with the glass which is silicone bonded to the outside of the outer frame. Also the slim, minimalistic design of the hinges worked well with the aesthetics of the design, meaning they sat in line or just behind the outer glass surface line.
The robust, sturdy nature of the PAS 24-accredited Kestrel door, with its double mechanical spring cleats to each mitre joint, also gave the team the confidence to attempt to use this design for such a large-sized door, which measured 1,200mm wide x 2,600mm high, and weighed nearly 100kg.
For safety purposes, Contemporary installed a door closer to prevent the outwardly opening door from catching in the wind and opening too far (past 110°), which could cause the glass to clash and destruct.
A stainless-steel boss was machined to space the external handle mounting face away from the door by 14mm to allow for the thickness of the external stepped glass and the silicone bond.
The door frame was then powder coated with a special, not-readily-available TIGER Drylac® colour. The glass specified was a made-to-order Guardian Glass HD20 product.
Contemporary worked closely with their specialist suppliers to meet the specification and match the building’s glass façade, while completing the installation within the construction schedule.
Andy Howells adds: “The client is delighted with the final result; it has been a challenging but well-worthwhile project.”
Andrew Cross, Marketing Manager at Kestrel Aluminium Systems, says: “We were delighted that our aluminium residential door system was specified as the base for this ambitious project. Thanks to our high-specification, robust frames, Contemporary Glass Structures was able to deliver a large, impressive door that adds real grandeur to the building’s terrace.”
Kestrel Aluminium Systems has been supplying aluminium fenestration products for more than 30 years, and prides itself on offering excellent customer service and high-quality, reliable products. For more information on Kestrel’s systems, call 0121 333 3575.
