Balcony glazing to protect against the elements

Exclusive living by Aalborg’s House of Music

Many of today’s cities are currently struggling to tackle the challenges of insufficient space and a need for places to live close to the city centre. In coastal cities with old industrial ports, these are often precisely the part of the city earmarked for regeneration to handle the demands of a modern urban society. One example of this is the Danish city of Aalborg, where the industrial port has been relocated to the Aalborg Øst district. This has freed up space in the area that can now be used for residential complexes and cultural enrichment. 2015 saw the launch of a project aimed at elevating the new district’s status with attractive homes and modern buildings. General contractor A. Enggaard A/S and architects’ bureau Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects led the way in the creation of the new Musikhuskvarteret district, centred around Aalborg’s House of Music.

Exclusive apartments

The first phase of the project comprised of 30 apartments between 120 and 230 m² in size, spread across 10 floors. The apartments were designed to face in at least three different directions to ensure that they received plenty of light, whatever the time of day. Likewise, exposure to sunlight was a hugely important consideration when it came to deciding where to place the balconies. The end result is reflective not only of the high quality of the design, but also of the exclusive nature of the materials.

Stilren balkonginglasning med SL 25 från Solarlux

Purist facade glazing

One of these exclusive elements is the apartments’ pergolas. The large open areas connect the apartments to their coastal surroundings, offering the residents unobstructed views of the harbour and the sea. However, the exposed location of the flats also limits the opportunities to use the balconies. As such, even the very earliest plans included a floor-to-ceiling glazing solution for the balconies, effectively giving every apartment its own glass house. The elegant, purist facade solutions with their SL25XXL glass panels supplied by Solarlux provide the transparency required for the residents to make the most of their seaside views, while also providing protection from the Danish wind and rain.

Balkongen blir som ett uterum med väderskyddande inglasningar

Sheltered pergolas

“We know how windy it gets around the Limfjord, so it’s not always possible to sit out on the pergola. With this in mind, our glazed balconies allow our residents to enjoy their balconies for more of the year,” says Sylvia Dondorff, Head of Sales at Solarlux’s Scandinavian office, who is in charge of the company’s operations in the Nordic countries.

Inglasade balkonger som vindskydd i Aalborg

The SL 25 XXL is equal to the challenge

For projects like the one in Aalborg’s Musikhuskvarteret district, the SL 25 XXL is the perfect solution: The all-glass SL 25 XXL slide-and-turn system is suitable for use at extremely high elevations, making it the ideal solution for glazed balconies. Depending on the customer’s preferences, the glass panels can be set up to open outwards, inwards, to the left and/or to the right. The SL 25 XXL’s panels weight up to 65 kg each, with 15-mm-thick toughened safety glass. This makes them perfect for exposed locations where the supporting structure is under a lot of strain. All in all, the system is the perfect fit for buildings with high wind loads in coastal areas – and also skyscrapers, where the height of the building itself means that high-quality and durable products are essential.

For more information on Solarlux balcony glazing, click here.