After a complete renovation and redesign, the IQ glazing showroom is an immersive experience not to be missed.
The UK’s largest glazing showroom is located in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, conveniently close to London. After a complete renovation and redesign in recent years, the IQ showroom has become an immersive experience not to be missed. Carefully designed to offer architects and specifiers the best experience from start to finish, each glazing solution was designed on a completely bespoke basis, specifically for the showroom.
Bespoke Engineered Solutions in the UK’s Largest Glazing Showroom
Many of the glazing systems installed at the showroom are oversized, showcasing what bespoke engineered solutions can achieve on a large scale. The glass façade used to create the oversized glass entrance design uses frameless architectural glazing, reaching a staggering 6.5 metres tall with a slim framed pivot door integrated within the façade as a front door.
A double height, three pane vertical sliding sash window sits next to a large single pane sliding door on one elevation of the building, both reaching heights of over 6 metres and opening at the click of a button. The automated sliding door uses the minimal windows 4+ profiles to accommodate the large size, taking deflection into consideration to ensure the oversized glazing design is functional as well as stunning. When opened the glass door slides behind the vertical sash window to reveal a completely open aperture, with a flush threshold that can even be driven over.
Specialist Internal Glazing
Various internal glazing solutions have been installed throughout the UK’s largest glazing showroom, creating a sense of continuity and allowing both light and views to travel freely through the open plan space. Internal sliding doors are used in a number of places, as well as slim framed internal pivot doors and simple glass casement doors.
All internal glazing elements have been finished in different frame colours and finishes to showcase the flexible nature of the bespoke engineered glazing, including frames with a brushed stainless steel finish and doors with bespoke decorative ironmongery.
The MIRO range of internal glass doors has been designed to offer architects flexible internal glazing solutions that can be specified in a wide range of arrangements and configurations, to suit the individual project requirements. The slim framed pivot door at the showroom has been finished in a bronze colour, giving the appearance of a simple casement door and only revealing its bespoke nature when opened.
Bespoke Automated Glazing
Any of the systems at the showroom are automated, using high quality motors and complex counterweighted pulley systems to effortlessly move large panes of glass. One of the most interesting automated systems in the UK’s largest glazing showroom is the Glassmotion box, which shows the M.A.R.S and A.R.E.S opening rooflight systems on one display that allows you to view the rooflights from any angle. The entire box display moves up and down whilst the rooflights can be opened and closed, allowing you to see the internal view of the rooflights as well as from above.
The vertical sash window and the single pane sliding door are both automated due to the sheer weight of the systems. The vertical sash window installation required specialist glass lifting equipment to lift the glass into place and thread the pulley system through, before securing the glass in place. Both of these opening elements are operated via a dead man switch, making opening and closing as easy as clicking a button.
Invisio Floating Glass Box
Upstairs on the mezzanine floor, a floating glass box cantilevers over the glazing showroom. The box has been designed using frameless structural glazing with structural silicone bonding, with double opening casement doors granting access to the crystal clear glass floor. The specialist creation was designed and developed completely in house by IQ, weighing over 5.4 tonnes in total and using low iron glass for the most transparent design.
This impressive glass installation contains no mechanical fixings, using only structural silicone and bonded glazing to support the entirety. Each of the 1.4 tonne walls was carefully lifted and fitted into place prior to the rest of the glass box installation, which required careful planning and consideration throughout. The floating glass box can accommodate up to 8 people comfortably and is available for meetings… if you dare!
The glazing showroom is an immersive experience not to be missed, with a number of moving and opening elements that must be seen to be realised. You can reach the showroom by car, train, London Underground or even helicopter. IQ offer a collection service if you are visiting the showroom via public transport and can offer in house CPD seminars to suit any architectural practice.
What Next?
If you are based in the UK, contact the team to book a showroom visit. If you are not, the showroom tour can be conducted virtually via video call.