Glazing Applications

Internal Glazing for Wine Cellars

There are many factors to consider when designing a wine cellar or wine storage space in residential dwellings. These elegant additions are often found in prime residential properties and have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Wine cellars are the epitome of luxury, but these purpose-led designs offer more than meets the eye. To achieve optimum wine storage for true collectors, the internal glazing systems should be thermally broken. This will allow homeowners to control the temperature of the space, preserving the wine in proper conditions.

Design Options

Internal glazing adds a touch of luxury to any interior design scheme and wine cellars are no different. Utilising oversized glazing to create these spaces allows the wine collections to be viewed and seen by the homeowners, providing an elegant display as well as functional storage.

There are a range of material options that can be specified alongside large elevations of glass, to suit a range of interior design themes. Keep reading to discover the advantages to each material and which of our bespoke systems should be considered for wine cellars.

Steel Glazing

Our range of steel glazing systems is offered with flexibility in mind, making them perfect for bespoke internal glazing applications. Steel framed glazing creates an industrial style, often preferred in more traditional home designs.

The configuration options when specifying steel systems are extremely broad, with IQ Glass being able to create completely unique designs to meet any specific requirements.

The steel frames can be powder coated in any RAL colour, to match or contrast existing interior design schemes, or specified with a specialist finish such as architectural bronze or chemically blackened steel.

The steel frames can be thermally broken if temperature control is specified within the design, or single glazed if a controlled climate is not required.

Aluminium Systems

Aluminium is a more cost effective and environmentally friendly option than steel, with the ability to mimic steel systems. Due to its lightweight properties and easy to install advantage, aluminium is perfectly suitable for retrofit projects.

Wine cellars are historically found below ground level and many homes have these basement spaces suitable for renovating into wine storage. One key advantage to using aluminium is the suitability to be installed on uneven ground, for example where uneven stone floors are found in sub-ground levels.

Aluminium framed casement doors can be integrated within a wine cellar, granting seamless travel between living spaces whilst retaining the required temperature thanks to the exceptional performance values.

As well as casement doors, internal aluminium doors can be sliding, pivoting or bifolding. Where sliding doors are specified internally, these can be configured to slide into a hidden wall cavity, revealing a completely open aperture.

Although this would not be suitable for climate-controlled spaces, this application is perfect for homeowners who like to entertain, giving them the opportunity to showcase expansive wine collections.

Bespoke Frameless Internal Glazing

Entire walls of frameless glass can be achieved using our Invisio structural glazing system. Glass boxes can be specified with integrated doors, such as sliding or casement doors, to make the wine cellar into a display feature.

Invisio is the UK’s first fully thermally broken structural glazing system, boasting the ability to maintain temperatures without obstructing views or light flow.

As well as glass walls, structural glazing can be utilised in frameless glass balustrade designs. These balustrades can be used as handrails on staircases leading to the cellar, or to separate areas within the cellar in large spaces. The addition of glass balustrades, when used throughout a property, creates a cohesive interior design that enhances the natural flow of a home.

Specification and fixing details for glass balustrades are calculated on a project by project basis, depending on the function of the balustrade and the performance requirements of the interior space.

Timber Systems

IQ Glass provide timber internal glazing systems by using aluminium frames with a textured timber veneer. In wine cellars, traditional shelving units wood, and timber effect framed glazing systems may be preferred to create a sense of continuity.

The timber door systems available from IQ Glass are available in a range of finishing options, to match or create a contrast with existing wood. Each timber finishing option has matching handle inserts available, for a coherent interior design.

Fire Rated Glazing for Wine Cellars

In many properties, fire rated doors are required by building regulations, to protect the occupants in the event of a fire. IQ Glss offer a number of fire rated systems with various fire rating certificates, without compromising on minimal design. In a wine cellar, fire doors may be a requirement to ensure homeowners can safely travel between the basement level and the ground floor.

In terms of configuration, our fire-rated glazing systems have been developed to offer the most flexibility possible. This means we can offer a range of casement doors, double doors, and doors within glass screens with fire ratings of either 30/30 or 60/60.

One aspect of fire rated glazing that should be considered is the door size, as there are maximum sizes for glass doors of this nature. The maximum size for a single fire-rated door cannot exceed 2.5m x 1.1m, whilst a double door cannot exceed 2.65m x 2.2m.

Additional Glass Options

There are a number of technical glass solutions, as well as decorative options, that should be considered when specifying glazing for your wine cellar. Depending on the design and desired effect of the space, decorative glass could be the best solution.

Coloured interlayers can be used in any of our door systems, as well as opaque finishes for an exclusive feel. IQ Glass understands that no two projects have the same requirements and are always on hand to discuss any adjustments or additional glass accessories to enhance the design or functionality.

Every glazing solution discussed in this article follows a minimal approach, focusing on meeting the performance requirements of wine cellars no matter how varied these are. We are constantly developing new systems and applications to meet specialised performance requirements.

Next Steps

Get in touch with the team today to discuss your wine cellar requirements. The team of experts are equipped to answer any questions, as well as advising on specification and design.