Solarlux glass extension delivers light, warmth and comfort

Roger, a semi-retired engineer, replaced his old conservatory in Redditch, Worcestershire with a glass extension from Solarlux. He was frustrated with the all too common conservatory experience –too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. The Solarlux Wintergarden glass extension offered Roger a modern alternative to a conservatory. It opened up the once dark and cold space into a bright and comfortable room suitable for year-round use.

With Roger’s engineering background, he appreciates the value of a well-designed solution and was impressed with the transformation that the glass extension delivered. The old conservatory was so cold in the winter that a wood burner was used for heating. By contrast, the glass extension – with its triple glazed insulated roof and walls – retains heat so well that the wood burner was removed. The underfloor heating that replaced it is barely used, too.

On its amazing heat retention, Roger comments: “We would usually have to vacate the conservatory as soon as the sun went down, but we can sit out in the wintergarden until 10 or 11pm now. If we open up the internal bi-fold doors, the heat flows into the house and helps to save on our energy bills.”

During the summer, old style conservatories can suffer from overheating due to solar gain. The glass extension’s roof has powered external shading. This is more effective than internal shading as it stops the heat before it enters the glass. This helps to keep Roger and his family keep their cool on hot summer days.

Through the quality of the materials and innovative design, glass extensions deliver a comfortable room climate throughout the year within an adaptive glass envelope. Specially designed and patented thermal breaks ensure that thermal gain through the aluminium framing is limited to prevent the ingress of excessive heat. Intelligent user controlled ventilation and shading cool down the space when required to maintain a pleasant internal climate that adapts to outside conditions.

As well as keeping the heat in, or out, the glass extension has another trick up its sleeve. The all-round triple glazing has an additional acoustic benefit, as Roger confirms: “The old conservatory suffered from the wind whistling over the roof, but the wintergarden is much quieter, which means we get a more relaxing experience.”

Glass extensions, such as Solarlux’s Wintergardens, can be designed to work with any building and work in harmony with the existing architecture. In this case, the footprint of the original dwarf wall conservatory had a raked corner. This required careful design to ensure that powered shading of the roof would work.

Spectrum Architectural Glazing, one of Solarlux’s Quality Partners, specified and installed the glass extension. They have the largest Solarlux showroom in the UK, with all products on display and live demonstration areas, including two atriums and two glass extension.

On the project Neil Spiers, Director of Sales at Spectrum Architectural Glazing said: “We worked carefully on the design at every stage and planned the electrics and functionality of the powered shading to ensure that it worked with the raked corner. The installation went very well, and the customer was very pleased with the finished glass extension. It looks stunning while blending in beautifully with the cottage and the surrounding gardens.”

This 6.4m x 3.9m glass extension was created using two high quality Solarlux products.

SDL Akzent Plus
The SDL Akzent Plus forms the roof of the glass extension and provides it with an elegant, well-insulated space flooded with light. The filigree rafters give the roof a slimline look and maximise the amount of light allowed into the glass extension. Thanks to its sophisticated technology, the system can be used to create even larger roof constructions with no problem whatsoever. The roof system, with complete thermal insulation, allows roof pitches from 5° to 45°. Roof ventilation with an
automatic control system can be used to keep your extension airy.

Highline Bi-folding door
The Highline bi-folding door is a triple-glazed modular aluminium profile system with high-performance thermal insulation. With a building depth of 84 mm, maximum panel width of 1.1 m and maximum height of 3.5 m, the Highline bi-folding door system boasts an unbroken, slim sight line of 99 mm at the panel joint. This is thanks to the heart of the bi-folding door: the
bionicTURTLE®, a multi-functional break profile that combines a range of technical details. Its shape helps to keep profiles extremely slim, even when using large and heavy panels. It also houses the locking mechanism and fittings, guaranteeing perfect insulation.

If you’re thinking of replacing an existing conservatory with a modern alternative, a glass extension from Solarlux can transform the space, making it a light and comfortable room to enjoy all year round. Solarlux is a leading manufacturer of premium glass solutions and have a wealth of experience in supplying stunning glass extensions for their customers.

On the project in Worcestershire, Joel Severn, Regional Sales Manager of Solarlux commented: “Our glass extensions are a popular and modern way to breathe new life into existing spaces. The replacement of the old conservatory with a wintergarden has provided Roger and his family with a bright and comfortable glazed area that can be enjoyed all year round. Our years of experience allowed a wintergarden to be created that accommodates the existing architecture and delivers a timeless
design of outstanding quality.”

If you would like to find out more about glass extension, please contact us and we will be happy to help.