Architecture
Don't Throw Stones: Is It the End of the Glass Balustrade?
Rules for glass balustrades have been toughened in New Zealand this year, and they're banned in Australia. What are the alternatives?
Earlier this year, there was a bit of a kerfuffle about glass balustrades: Auckland Council’s building advisors announced they were looking to revise the rules on their use in advance of changes to the building code – which were finally approved in June.
Framed glass balustrades now must have an interlinking top rail and edge support system, and frameless glass balustrades must be built from laminated toughened or heat-strengthened safety glass with a stiff interlayer.
Although no one’s ever died or been seriously injured by a balustrade failing, the council’s research showed that they’re capable of breaking in certain circumstances, such as dropping something heavy on a corner. Moreover, they’ve been banned in Australia for 10 years.
Framed glass balustrades now must have an interlinking top rail and edge support system, and frameless glass balustrades must be built from laminated toughened or heat-strengthened safety glass with a stiff interlayer.
Although no one’s ever died or been seriously injured by a balustrade failing, the council’s research showed that they’re capable of breaking in certain circumstances, such as dropping something heavy on a corner. Moreover, they’ve been banned in Australia for 10 years.
There was talk the balustrades could be banned altogether – which, understandably upset rather a lot of people. On one level you can understand why – we’ve all got used to the barely there look of a glass balustrade in contemporary houses, which allow light and views through and across rooms. When handled right, they’re a minimalist’s dream. Used internally, they connect spaces and allow more light in, often in spaces where a solid wall would close everything down.
They’re particularly common with swimming pool fences, when you have a lovely pool sitting in the corner of your lawn and you don’t want anything to impede on the view, or to clutter up your garden – in New Zealand, they’ve become popular since the rules around swimming pool fencing became especially rigorous a couple of decades ago.
But on another level, isn’t there something ever so slightly creepy about the glass balustrade? Sure, they open up the view in a particularly spectacular way – just look at the effect it has here – but there’s something slightly vertiginous about them, in the same way as floor-to-ceiling glass in high-rise buildings. You know it’s safe, but you stand back all the same, because there’s nowhere for you to lean. And most importantly, where do you put your drink?
Here are some alternatives to the frameless glass balustrade – though always remember to consult a professional about the exact type of glass you might need and the legal requirements around whatever it is you’re fencing off.
Here are some alternatives to the frameless glass balustrade – though always remember to consult a professional about the exact type of glass you might need and the legal requirements around whatever it is you’re fencing off.
Put a cap on it
This one’s pretty gorgeous: a simple timber cap on the glass balustrade defines the line of the stair. In this case, a frameless glass railing would look a bit wimpy next to the solid concrete fin wall. The articulation of the stairs and the top of the balustrade in timber is particularly lovely and, if anything, it makes the stair feel lighter, since the timber handrail seems to float in place.
This one’s pretty gorgeous: a simple timber cap on the glass balustrade defines the line of the stair. In this case, a frameless glass railing would look a bit wimpy next to the solid concrete fin wall. The articulation of the stairs and the top of the balustrade in timber is particularly lovely and, if anything, it makes the stair feel lighter, since the timber handrail seems to float in place.
Similarly – though slightly more heftily – a timber balustrade on this stair helps to define the space and the direction of the stairs. It’s warm and defined – without it, there’d be a mass of slightly reflective panels which, frankly, would make me feel a little sick.
Frame it up
Then there’s using the glass as a filler, rather than the actual balustrade itself. In this example, a steel handrail is self-supporting, and the glass sits in underneath it. It allows light to fall down the stair, which helps make the room below it look a little bigger, but it also stops things like, oh, toddlers, from slopping off the side of the stair.
Then there’s using the glass as a filler, rather than the actual balustrade itself. In this example, a steel handrail is self-supporting, and the glass sits in underneath it. It allows light to fall down the stair, which helps make the room below it look a little bigger, but it also stops things like, oh, toddlers, from slopping off the side of the stair.
An even more structured example: here, a beautiful timber cap sits on top of a set of steel supports, and the glass sits in between. In this case, the detailing is elegant and thoughtful – the glass still lets light and views through, but the timber gives it weight. The timber cap, meanwhile, is a lovely weighty bit of timber, excellent for support, while taking in the view.
Here’s a more minimal approach: this stair has a steel frame behind it with a beautifully detailed handrail – to which is bolted textured glass on the outside edge. The glass here – rather than being the supporting element – is the clothing. It’s graphic, and beautifully realised – and works perfectly with all that concrete.
Screen it out
You will have seen this idea before – it is a beautiful one. Instead of a classic balustrade down the inside of your stairs, and instead of a glass now-you-don’t-see-it balustrade, a timber screen runs down several stories, with a handrail through it.
You will have seen this idea before – it is a beautiful one. Instead of a classic balustrade down the inside of your stairs, and instead of a glass now-you-don’t-see-it balustrade, a timber screen runs down several stories, with a handrail through it.
It allows light and air to move around, and it’s a subtly sculptural move. It achieves many of the things a frameless glass screen would – but it’s softer, more enclosing, and very thoughtful.
Hardworking staircases
Hardworking staircases
What’s wrong with wood, anyway?
The balustrade on the renovation of this 1960s house by Strachan Group Architects is an example of how a beautifully realised timber balustrade is a wonderful thing. Horizontal timber rails run between good sturdy posts in a railing that has presence but is also lightweight. Glass does make an appearance here – along the inside, so small children can’t climb up the rails. (It would be illegal otherwise.)
The balustrade on the renovation of this 1960s house by Strachan Group Architects is an example of how a beautifully realised timber balustrade is a wonderful thing. Horizontal timber rails run between good sturdy posts in a railing that has presence but is also lightweight. Glass does make an appearance here – along the inside, so small children can’t climb up the rails. (It would be illegal otherwise.)
Raise it up
For those with swimming pools who want that fenceless look, you might want to consider other options – like a raised swimming pool. Rather than digging it into the ground and then seeking to hide the balustrade with glass, a great option is to raise the pool up, meaning the retaining wall of the pool itself becomes the pool fence – it just has to be the height of a standard pool fence, or higher (in compliance to government fencing laws, the fence needs to be at least 1.2m or the object around the pool that is not a standard fence needs to be 1.8m).
You also need to deal with entry into the pool area under this scenario: in this case, there’s a beautiful wooden gate at the far end between the pool and the spa, which makes it safe and gives access to both.
For those with swimming pools who want that fenceless look, you might want to consider other options – like a raised swimming pool. Rather than digging it into the ground and then seeking to hide the balustrade with glass, a great option is to raise the pool up, meaning the retaining wall of the pool itself becomes the pool fence – it just has to be the height of a standard pool fence, or higher (in compliance to government fencing laws, the fence needs to be at least 1.2m or the object around the pool that is not a standard fence needs to be 1.8m).
You also need to deal with entry into the pool area under this scenario: in this case, there’s a beautiful wooden gate at the far end between the pool and the spa, which makes it safe and gives access to both.
As you can see with this example, it gives you a strong physical element to play with – it could be tiled or, as in this case, you could leave the timber formwork exposed. In this way the pool literally becomes part of the landscaping, making it feel much more integrated into the whole scheme – which is kind of what people were trying to achieve with the glass balustrade anyway.
It’s a steel
Then you get to thinking. What exactly is wrong with a fence anyway? When did we start deciding we didn’t like them – and aren’t there ways of making them a beautiful insertion into the landscape of your pool or deck? Answer: yes, as shown by this lovely pool by Nicholas Bray Landscapes in the Southern Highlands near Sydney. In this case, there’s a beautiful and very solid Corten steel fence around the pool. Because of the thickness of it, it changes depending on your position – from this angle, the end is almost completely see-through, making way for an unobstructed view over the landscape when you’re in the pool itself.
7 ways with Corten
Then you get to thinking. What exactly is wrong with a fence anyway? When did we start deciding we didn’t like them – and aren’t there ways of making them a beautiful insertion into the landscape of your pool or deck? Answer: yes, as shown by this lovely pool by Nicholas Bray Landscapes in the Southern Highlands near Sydney. In this case, there’s a beautiful and very solid Corten steel fence around the pool. Because of the thickness of it, it changes depending on your position – from this angle, the end is almost completely see-through, making way for an unobstructed view over the landscape when you’re in the pool itself.
7 ways with Corten
For a no doubt quite expensive, but worth it effect, consider vertical steel fins. They’ll need to be of height and be close enough together that you can’t squeeze between them, and figuring out where and how you’d hang a gate in a fence like this could be tricky. But golly it’s beautiful, seeming to rise up out of the lawn like some prehistoric skeleton.
Wall it in
The contrarian in me says you could go the other way. Instead of a barely there little piece of glass, why not make something really substantial? If you’ve got the room, make the area you’re trying to fence off feel completely enclosed – with, say, a gabion wall of stones wrapped up in steel wire. Nothing says go away like a pile of rocks wrapped in steel.
The contrarian in me says you could go the other way. Instead of a barely there little piece of glass, why not make something really substantial? If you’ve got the room, make the area you’re trying to fence off feel completely enclosed – with, say, a gabion wall of stones wrapped up in steel wire. Nothing says go away like a pile of rocks wrapped in steel.
It’s probably a look more suited to large spreads on hillsides in Connecticut, like this one, but if you’ve got the room (and the budget), a drystone wall is the business. This one defines the space beautifully, a weighty addition to the landscape that fits in perfectly. I doubt you could do that with glass.
TELL US
What do you think of the proposed changes? Will they ruin your dream home?
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What do you think of the proposed changes? Will they ruin your dream home?
MORE
6 Practical Fencing Ideas You Haven’t Thought of Yet
Bambooozled by Balustrades? Read On
On the Way Up: Stairs That Elevate to a New Level