Urban houses
Compact urban house with a glazed corner
This design concentrates its architectural expression around a window that continues across two faces of the upper floor. A glazed corner produces a geometry very different from an ordinary wall corner: the place normally available to bring the two facades and their load-bearing components together becomes partly or entirely open.
This arrangement must be studied simultaneously as a question of structure, of joinery and of envelope.
Key details of this design
- Family
- Urban houses
- Storeys
- Ground floor + 1 storey
- Published documents
- concept drawings
These details describe the design as presented. Floor areas, capacity and performance are not given: they are defined during the study of your project.
What this design shows
Glazing does not take on the role of a load-bearing or bracing panel. The loads above the window must pass around the opening by means of lintels, edge studs and connections linked to clearly identified supports. The absence of a visible stud in the corner may require a greater transfer than the one needed around two separate windows.
The deformation of the frame must also remain compatible with the tolerances of the joinery and the glazing. A structural component strong enough but too flexible could impose stresses on the frames, the seals or the glass.
Around the corner, the connections must maintain the continuity of the waterproofing, the air control and the insulation. The sills, lintels and any steel reinforcement are detailed so as to limit thermal bridges and allow the joinery to be installed correctly.
Layout
Schematic plans
These documents are there to make the layout and the envelope shown understandable. They are schematic plans: they constitute neither construction drawings, nor structural drawings, nor a building permit.
Possible adaptations and their technical implications
The corner can become fully glazed, receive an intermediate stud, or be replaced by two separate openings. These variants are not structurally equivalent. Adding a support may simplify how the loads are carried; removing it may call for a reinforced beam or a localised hybrid solution.
Changing the width or the height of the glazing also changes the bracing surfaces available on both facades. Overall stability has to be rebalanced, sometimes in other parts of the plan.
The facade materials can change independently of the load-bearing structure, but their weights, fixing systems, cavities and connections with the glazed frames must be defined. Any solar shading also introduces loads and anchor points to be coordinated before manufacture.
A design becomes a project only after study
Site and geotechnics, planning, orientation, climate, structure, foundations, loads, wind, seismic action, envelope, performance, services, regulations and contractual scope are defined for the real case. None of these points is guaranteed by the original documents.
Would you like to start from this design?
Send us your location, your site if you already have one, and the changes you have in mind.
You can also write to us: commercial@algerialightsteel.com
“Compact urban house with a glazed corner” will be attached to your request automatically.