Glass is a trending material for balustrades, due to its versatility and unrivalled visual appeal. Giving an uninterrupted view from high rise buildings, glass also creates a neat, minimal and uniform look which is a big advantage on building exteriors. While the aesthetic qualities of a glass balustrade are unarguable, installation can raise challenges.
Traditional wet fit systems, for example, need to be held securely in place, usually with cement, to ensure a tight fit, which can be messy too, particularly when fitting the balcony retrospectively on to a building. Often too, the architectural hardware used for installation is heavy and cumbersome, particularly when working at awkward angles and from height and can even compromise the minimal aesthetic of the glass if poorly designed.
However, a dry-glazed railing system suitable for frameless glass balustrades such as CRL’s Taper-Loc® system is a hassle-free alternative to the mess and awkwardness of working with cement. This solution simplifies the fitting and maintenance process, enabling installation from the safe side of the balustrade, which is particularly useful in retrofit projects or when a broken glass panel needs to be changed as it eliminated the need for expensive scaffolding, cuts installation times and provides safety and security for installer and end user.
Juliette balconies made from glass are becoming particularly popular, especially for buildings where the interior is compact. CRL’s Juliette Balcony System features a modern design and sleek, clean lines creating the desired visual effect without being a headache to install. The system offers peace of mind with 316 grade stainless steel for weather resilience and comprises four connectors, plus two cap rails of 3m to 4.2m length, suitable for 12mm to 25.52mm glass. Available in brushed and polished stainless-steel finishes, the system has been tested to a width of 2400mm.
Both Taper-Loc® dry glazed railing systems and Juliette balcony systems tap into the big trend for frameless glass balustrades. With less architectural hardware providing an improved aesthetic when compared to standard vertical posts, and what hardware is on show being available in a number of on-trend and attractive weather-proof finishes, a minimalistic, high-end look is achievable with no compromise on safety.