Combining luxury with spectacular river views, St James’ Riverlight development on the south bank of the Thames at Nine Elms, features balconies with Fieger louvre windows to extend seasonal use.
Updating the concept of the winter garden for the 21st Century, architects Rogers Stirk Harbour aims to set a high benchmark for premium city living where the innovation features on pavilions one and two.
Lindsay Eccles, MD at Fieger UK commented, “Balconies enhance urban living, especially in such a dramatic riverside setting, but UK weather and the intrusion of city noise can often limit their enjoyment. By enclosing the indoor/outdoor space with floor to ceiling glass louvres a buffer is created that extends seasonal enjoyment of the balcony, with minimal obstruction to light and the spectacular views down the Thames.”
The glazed louvres, installed by ventilation contractor Adexsi UK, form an integral element of the glazed facade by Alumet Systems, so the glass frontage is continuous. The single glazed laminated glass louvres give a clear view with an ability to open the louvres for cooling airflow in summer or close them to protect from external noise and the extremes of weather. The trapped air between the louvres and the French windows enhances energy saving in the apartments.
A total of 400 Fieger FLM louvre panels have been installed. Each has 12.76mm safety glass blades built into an aluminium frame, finished in matt black to match other elements of the facade. The installation complies with the requirement of The Building Regulations Approved Document K with a fixed bottom louvre and lower louvres up to a height of 1100 mm having a maximum 100mm opening. Louvres above 1100mm are able to be rotated by up to 85 degrees for increased ventilation. Individual manual control of each louvre bank gives occupants complete flexibility to vary the opening as they wish.
Specialising in bespoke architectural louvres, Fieger can offer a wide choice of glazing, finish and controls to suit the needs of any project. Winter gardens typically use single glazed units. Double glazed units are employed to meet Building Regulations requirements, while triple glazed louvres are available for eco-buildings that are designed for high thermal performance, exceeding current UK Building Regulations.
Fieger also produce smoke ventilation louvres systems for the protection of stairwells and common circulation spaces in apartment buildings and workplaces. All systems are engineered to provide a precision seal so air infiltration is negligible, even when subject to high wind pressure as is typical in high rise buildings.
