How glass balustrades can improve open-plan spaces

One of the characteristics of open-plan spaces is the brightness and flow of natural light, which is achieved with the use of glass and the lack of walls in between rooms.

Open-plan spaces have become very popular in the last few years in offices and homes, but certain building regulations must be taken into consideration.

Building regulations require that if there are stairs, raised areas, landings, or sunken areas in a domestic property, there must be a balustrade if the difference between the levels is more than 600mm.

That might seem like a problem for people that want to have an open-plan design, but the solution is simple: glass balustrades.

Any other type of balustrades would intrude the open-plan space, whereas a glass balustrade will enhance the area and effectively divide up your open floorplan without affecting the architectural features and natural light.

Create partitions with glass balustrades

In open-plan houses or offices, walls are rarely used because they would disturb the feeling of openness and the flow of natural light. But there are times that separation is needed between spaces, levels, steps or raised areas.

Glass balustrades can be used to create a separation and to also add extra safety. Glass balustrades can provide an effective way to zone out specific areas like your mezzanine floor without enclosing your rooms.

Within a house, glass balustrades can also create a barrier between a kitchen area and a living room or can be used to ‘bring the outdoors indoors’ for a seamless partition between the garden and the living room.

The use of glass balustrades in open-plan houses also offers visual transparency between the floor levels, which is very important if you have young children.

Open-plan staircases with glass balustrades

Glass balustrades are also a wonderful way to make the staircase an integral part of your open-plan home by incorporating both style and safety.

Glass balustrades won’t compromise the natural light coming in and will become the stand-out feature of your home. Staircases with glass balustrades are often used for contemporary, open-plan living spaces not only because they don’t block the light but because they create the illusion of open space.

Glass also keeps the heat from the natural light and lets it flow between levels, better than traditional railings that block the light altogether.

Frameless glass balustrades

Our Frameless glass balustrade system is our most seamless and minimalist balustrade, and is often associated with open-plan designs.  This system allows you to have a clear view with no interruptions at all whether it’s used indoors or outdoors.

Frameless glass is the perfect solution for creating effective dividers in both office and domestic environments. It’s aesthetically pleasing, modern and extremely durable.

Whether you want a glass balustrade to zone out areas within your open-plan workplace or your open-plan home, our glass balustrades can be customised with different finishes and we can supply you with different sizes compliant to building regulations.

This month our Frameless Glass Balustrade is 15% off! Contact our team for a free quote or if you’d like more information.

View our gallery for some inspiration.