The owners of this old half-timbered cottage wanted a glass extension that would connect seamlessly to the original building but would be structurally independent and non-invasive.
The solution we provided was a Solarlux insulated glass extension that is technically free-standing but is thermally sealed against the old walls. The extension utilises a steel "goalpost" against the wall to provide the structural integrity of the extension — the steelwork was clad by ourselves in the same finish as the rest of the extension with aluminium fabrications made by Archital our sister company.
The benefit of the freestanding solution is that it doesn't compromise the integrity of the old building. The extension could be removed in the future and you wouldn't know it had been there. Yet with its underfloor heating and triple-glazing throughout, it is designed to be used all year round as part of the house and our clients are using it as a siting/dining room.
The original brief was for the glass roof to follow the existing roofline but this would have meant over-short bifolding doors. So we proposed that the roofline be slightly higher and we built an insulated aluminium fill-in panel.
The client was very pleased with the results and with our service.
The system used is the Solalrlux 'Wintergarden' Akzent Plus, custom-built in Melle, Germany and finished in DB 704 a medium grey metallic with a slight texture to the surface. All the aluminium structure is thermally-broken to keep the heat in (or out in the summer) and the glass is triple-glazing for exceptional thermal and acoustic performance.
