Curved Glass balustrade for Tate Britain Rotunda staircase

Curved Glass balustrade for Tate Britain Rotunda staircase

Ion Glass provided Tate Britain with an intricate curved glass balustrade to the magnificent spiral staircase that forms the centrepiece of the redevelopment works that took place. The first phase of redevelopment began three years ago, transforming the oldest part of the building, the entrance, Rotunda and galleries in the south east quadrant. The staircase links the ground floor to a series of basement spaces created for education, displays and social activities and was officially opened to much acclaim on November 18th 2013.

At the heart of the Rotunda, each side of the glass balustrade features both an inner and an outer skin of decorative opaque glass with each individual panel made from 9.5mm laminated toughened glass with a sandblasted effect. Each pair of panels had to fit accurately around the curve of the spiral and also to sit perfectly around each individual step. The glass is suspended between polished stainless steel uprights with a 5mm clearance between the stonework of the steps and the handrail above.

Ion Glass have developed an accurate system of laser surveying for complex glass projects which was able to account for all the nuances in the metalwork as well as the differing radii of the inner and outer panels of each section.The detailed laser survey at Tate Britain provided precise measurements from all angles, with the detailed information transferred to working drawings. The use of glass templates at the Tate Britain ensured that the final glass panels fitted perfectly first time.

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