Self-supporting glass railings- the weightlessness of a frameless structure

2. Mounting in stand-holders (glass railing with clips)

Unlike an installation to a clamping profile, where the glass seems to “grow” out of the ceiling, this type of installation implies the presence of visible metal elements for fastening the glass sheets, while maintaining the feeling of weightlessness and transparency of the structure. The use of such an installation system, in addition to the design wishes of the architect and the customer, may be due to:

→ ➔ the impossibility of making a slot in a finished capital structure for installing a tire profile;

→ ➔ increased risk of installation on precise attachments to the edge of the partition in cases of large elevation differences or unfavorable weather conditions in the installation area.

In this case, a clip-on glass railing becomes the only possible option for using a self-supporting frameless glass railing. Another advantage of fastening to stand-holders is the ability to install a glass railing on any finished surface and coating without damaging its integrity and without requiring additional installation work. A wide range of such fasteners allows the designer to make the project unique by selecting the necessary:

• clamp forms;
• clipping colors;
• type of metal;
• metal surface textures

The preliminary decision regarding the number and type of glass clamps must be made by the design engineer, who calculates the size and weight of the structure and the wind load on the glass railing.

3. Point attachments to the edge face of various types of capital structures: overlap, parapet, staircase (without using a profile)

If you want to decorate your interior in a modern and concise style, then the self-supporting point-mounted glass railing will be the best choice. Point fixings for the installation of safe glass self-supporting rails allow you to fix the glass sheet at several points without additional stands and racks, balusters and railing profiles, thus eliminating the need for bulky fixing fittings. To install such a railing, holes of the required size are drilled in the glass. The number of such holes and fasteners is determined by the dimensions of the glass sheet, and the place and scope of the structure. Holes are drilled in the glass (10-12 mm) even before it is tempered in an oven and lamination process.

Glass is a material that can be affected by various environmental factors (heating, cooling), especially when used in external structures. For this reason, point fixings are installed in such a way that the glass can move relative to the fixing elements within a certain range. To avoid direct contact between glass and fixtures, special spacers and bushings made of elastic materials are used. Point fixings for glass enclosures can be made in different sizes and, usually, in stainless steel with a gloss or satin finish. The appearance of such fasteners is so versatile that they often go well with the design of any other fittings used for glass railing, and perform not only a functional, but also an aesthetic function. In some cases, connectors and fasteners can be covered and masked with decorative elements.

The scope of application of point mounts is quite wide:

• Railing of stairs of multi-storey shops;
• Glass railings of flights of stairs and landings of private houses;
• Fencing of balconies and attics of cottages, private houses, penthouses;
• Fencing of verandas, terraces and ramps of various structures.

Self-supporting glass railings can be made with or without handrails.

The advantages of self-supporting railings with handrails include:

• convenience for users during ascent and descent;
• protection of the edge of the glass sheet;
• increasing the rigidity of the glass railing structure.

Handrails are not often used:

→ in places where additional loading (leaning) on the self-supporting glass railing must be avoided in order to ensure safety:

• multi-story shops;
• atriums of shopping centers;
• observation platforms.

→ for an aesthetic purpose, for maximum “lightening” of the structure and its visual weightlessness and transparency:

• for railing stairs;
• for fencing swimming pools;
• on the terraces of cafes and restaurants;
• on the balconies of private houses, cottages.

→ in places where the height of the fence exceeds the standard, which basically eliminates the need for handrails.

If a decision is made to use a handrail in a structure of this type, then in the absence of other metal elements, it can be mounted onto:

At your request, “Glaspro” can install handrails of various shapes on the glass railing: round, square or rectangular, made of various materials:

• glass;
• natural wood;
• ferrous metal;
• polished stainless steel;
• brushed stainless steel;
• aluminum.