A recap of some of our favourite projects and on-site stories from 2023.

2023 has been a great year for IQ Projects and the IQ Glass Group as a whole. We have completed many projects with a huge variety of bespoke glazing products that have been designed and installed by our amazing teams across the country.

We have completed a variety of projects ranging from internal office redevelopments, residential developments and leisure projects such as Eden Hall Spa. In total the IQ Projects team have fully completed 42 projects for 2023 ranging from record-breaking jobs to smaller, more technical installs.

IQ Projects Year in Review – Best Projects

Wolverine

Wolverine is one of our best projects of 2023 with a wide variety of internal glazing system being used to create an ideal showroom and office space for the American footwear brand. Wolverine includes fully bespoke internal glazing partitions that have been specified to segment different office spaces to create the desired privacy and separation between departments in the office. Several of the glazing walls feature reeded glass which provides even more privacy. Fully flush slim sliding doors from minimal windows have also been installed to finish the showroom spaces that mimic shoe stores seen in shopping centers and high streets. See the project in more detail here! 

Plas Glyn

Plas Glyn is one of our “International” projects that is located on the Welsh coast. Plas Glyn is an old art gallery that has been renovated and extended to house a café area for guests and visitors.

Because the building is close to the coastline, marine grade Invisio structural glazing was chosen because the huge glass elevations would need to endure strong winds.  A permeable layer that filters natural light is created by the 89,000 individual stainless-steel barnacles that are among the handcrafted metal components of the sculptured architectural envelope.  Slim framed sliding glass doors create seamless entrance with maximum light and views through the circular openings of the Invisio structural glazing emulating the marine-inspired shell shape.

Hermitage Lane

Hermitage Lane features a twin pair of luxury residential new-builds that mirror each other exactly. Throughout both new structures, a number of aluminium windows and four sets of minimal windows were fitted to increase the amount of natural light that could enter the high-end houses. Furthermore, sandblasted floor lights, frameless roof lights, and glass balustrading were added.

The homeowners are offered a variety of configurations that make it simple to let fresh air into their high-end housing. The modern brick buildings have been adorned with aluminium-framed, slim windows to give a unified look. A narrow aluminium side-hung window was designed into the bathroom to help with ventilation.

IQ Projects On-Site for 2023

A Coastal Glazing Installation at Fowey Hall Hotel

Fowey Hall is a Cornwall based project that involved using various glazing robots to complete the installation of slim sliding doors.

A large joystick-operated crane was used to secure and raise the minimal windows systems up and over into place so that the IQ team could prepare and install them. Because of the seaside location’s inherently high winds, the crane had to be managed carefully. There are several obstacles to overcome while using a huge lifting crane, including wind, weather, and road closures. When it came to the Fowey Hall Hotel, the weather was nearly ideal for vacuum crane lifting, the wind was just right to keep the crane stable, and no road closures were required.

Sustainable Scottish Cabins

The custom glass cabins for this retreat in Scotland are now finished, but not before the IQ Projects team had to overcome a few challenges. 

Though our Manchester office is the closest IQ location to Scotland, our project manager and site team still have a significant 7-hour commute to work from there. Our team frequently travels long distances, which are scheduled to provide us enough time for installations. Because of this, our team had to leave for the site early in the morning in order to have enough time to assess, prepare, and install the systems. 

The glazing had to be driven up to Scotland by the delivery team in addition to the installation team’s trip.

The Old Reading Rooms in Brighton

The Old Reading Rooms are a very historical buildings in Brighton that are just meters away from the famous Brighton beach. The buildings were left derelict for a number of years until Brighton and Hove council decided to renovate the spaces to provide small businesses opportunities to have real estate next to the busy beach.

The historical structures now have modern architecture thanks to IQ Glazing. In order to maximise natural light in the rooms and maintain the buildings’ resistance to weather and solar gain, a number of casement doors, fixed glazing, and sliding doors have been fitted. The glazing has been placed just a few millimeters behind the front façade because the council felt it was necessary to preserve the unique features of the traditional architecture, such as the pillars and archways. 

While the city council waits for the correct tenants to unlock the doors, the Brighton Reading Rooms are currently under protection. When the IQ Projects team is in the Brighton region, they stop by the site to ensure the project is still fit for purpose. 

Overall 2023 has been a great year for project development and project completion for the IQ Projects team. We are now looking forward to 2024 where we hope to have another successful year filled with exciting projects.