Glazed Link, Broadway
West Midlands
Our client needed to be able to reach the annexe on the opposite side of the courtyard of from his listed stone farmhouse. A fully glazed link corridor was approved, but wide access was still needed to the gardens on either side.
The shape of the link was constrained by the size and shape of the existing doorways on either side of the courtyard, which meant a very shallow pitch or very low walls.. The original scheme with French doors was revised to have large lift and slide doors. As sliding doors cannot support a roof, a large lintel would normally be needed. However, by some ingenious structural engineering we were able to span the entire courtyard with a shallow double pitched roof, without needing columns or cross ties. Once the structure had been resolved, the link was fitted with high insulation framelessdouble glazed units. Where the pitched roof met curved stone columns, the double glazing had to be templated to a close tolerance. The link is hermetically sealed to the buildings at either end without the need for unsightly lead flashings. The final scheme is a slim, neat, functional and eco-friendly solution.