ARCHITECT:  MMP Architects
BUILDER: Keir QLD

The recently renovated penthouse at North Shore Towers in Cairns, Queensland, features a breathtaking list of glass and glazing ‘firsts’, including a cantilevered glass pool and spiral glass staircase.

Few projects have the capacity to leave an observer awestruck, and even fewer become instant classics, but the mutli million dollar renovation of the South Penthouse in North Shore Towers, overlooking the blue waters of tropical Cairns, sets new standards of glass and glazing craftsmanship, design creativity and engineering boldness.

This renovation, with glass and glazing provided by local firm John Hyde Glass and Aluminium (JH Glass Innovation Pty Ltd), took 18 months to complete, and was a finalist at the AGGA 2015 Glass and Glazing Design Awards for best residential project (over $20,000); and winner of the 2015 Glass and Aluminum Association of Queensland (GAAQ) award in the same category.

Every glazed element of this project is innovative – all features were developed according to exacting design criteria, pushing the limits of engineering workability and leaving more than a few tradespeople with goose bumps along the way! At every turn, trade contributors banished off-the-shelf convenience in favour of customised solutions and a desire to bring the owners’ personal vision to reality.

The principal windows, for example, each measuring 2,200mm high x 4,200mm wide and weighing 400kgs, had to be craned to the 14th-level penthouse at opportune moments to avoid wind interference and allow for safe installation – a process that took many anxious days, according to John Hyde, Managing Director of John Hyde Glass & Aluminium. All glass balustrades used 17.04mm Sky Glass requiring no top handrail.

ONLY THE BEST

Perhaps the most stunning features of the penthouse are the extraordinary cantilevered glass pool, and the sparklingly brilliant spiral glass staircase. Both of these constructions are unique in Australia, and both were the result of painstaking research and commitment.

The total suspended weight of the pool is 16 tons, all held in place by four panels of 82.84mm clear laminated safety glass.

“We were lucky to have Chas Gianarakis from C.M.G. Consulting Engineers working on the project,” John says. “He’s an amazing guy, probably one of the best engineers in the country and one of the most sought after because he’s a lateral thinker; whatever the computer spits out, he won’t take that for gospel.”

John says the pool came to fruition thanks to some good fortune, involving some strong steel beams extending back into the building from the pool surrounds, which served as anchors for the new work. “We actually procured the original plan and it showed there were two central pillars that went the full height of the building and were going to sit underneath those two beams – if they were a metre or two to the side, the pool wouldn’t have happened as it did.”

Once weights and loads and glass specifications had been determined, John explains, steel components were made locally, and the decision made to use glass rather than polycarbonate or acryclic. “There was a lot involved – even the polished stainless steel at the top is actually a structural channel that ties it back to the building as well. When I look back at it now, I think it’s probably overengineered, but because it had never been done we couldn’t take any chances.”

The pool is approximately 4,000mm long, with the glass-cantilevered section protruding 2,200mm out from the façade. The sides are 1,500mm tall. “The front side of the glass is about 1500mm x 4,300mm, and that one piece alone weighs about 1.5 tons,” John says.

“The other thing that makes it special is that there aren’t many places where there would have been access to get the cranes we needed to make this work,” John explains. “We needed 150-200 tonners to crane these panels up, so there were a lot of things that had to come together. There were certain times when there was some trepidation, you might say, but I wouldn’t ask anything of the guys that I wouldn’t do myself!”

Filling the pool with water was itself nerve-wracking, John notes, but thankfully there were no structural deviations following the addition of so much weight.

OTHER “VERY SPECIAL” FEATURES

Equally stunning is the glass and steel staircase, complete with curved balustrading, which serves as a centerpiece of light and delicacy within the penthouse, setting the scene for all the residence’s other glazed elements. A mirror-polish stainless steel column forms the backbone of the staircase, which is a stand-alone cantilevered installation. All holes were precut based on CAD input: “There are no fixings holding the stringer up, it’s all hanging off its own weight affixed to the floor and the landing, which made it very special,” John says. “We had those stairs 85% finished, and even then I wasn’t sure if it was going to work.”

Amazingly, just a few metres away from this inspiring structure are other similarly jaw-dropping pieces, including a 7,000mm saltwater fish tank (the largest in an Australian residence), as well as a mirror-backed bar, backlit with fully programmable LED lights that can change to any colour of the rainbow and alter the mood of the conjoined shelving and vortex water features.

‘Bubble walls’ (i.e. slimline floor-to-ceiling tanks) separating bedrooms from ensuites are also engineering feats in their own right.

“They’re only 50mm wide,” John explains, “so there’s not a large volume of water inside.” Some 50 air hoses deliver air into these tank-walls, and the amount of bubbling can be adjusted. Surrounding walling opens out to offer access in case there is ever a problem with the bubble walls – “It took several weeks just to fabricate the surrounding cupboards that encase those bubble walls.”

TECHNOLOGICAL INTERACTIVITY

The staircase, bar, bubble walls and practically every other customized feature of the penthouse are linked to custom-designed lighting and other automated devices, all controlled from an iPad or smartphone. John says the programmability includes the ability to change colours, activate or switch off lights based on sensors, or even link effects to sound systems and entertainment units.

It is testament to the brilliance of the design that cabling is strung out amidst so much glass without being noticeable.

Overall, the entire penthouse renovation is a billet doux to glass – a homage to its power as a resilient but delicate material, and simultaneously a reminder to builders of its strength and engineering adaptability.

In commending the project for the abovementioned GAAQ design award, the judges had this to say: ‘This residence exemplifies all the fine qualities of glazing in terms of reflectivity, transparency, lightness and texture… Detailing is of the highest level and there has been careful consideration of how the glazing can complement the internal spaces without distracting from an amazing aspect. The coordination of lighting, water features, internal finishes with all the various elements of glazing should be commended.”

With views across the Whitsunday Islands, architecturally-designed ‘Solis’ is a multi-award-winning home without peers.  Located on Hamilton Island, the design and construction of the home were inspired by the natural surroundings and desire to capture the incredible island and the ocean views from as many vantage points as possible.

Splendid Isolation

It’s not every day you get approached to help realise a project for the ages. But that’s what happened to Queensland based JH Glass Innovation, when they were approached to work on a ground breaking residence, Solis, nestled in one of Hamilton Island’s most cherished locations. John Hyde, Managing Director sets the scene, explaining how he became involved with a masterpiece.

‘We were approached by the builder, Greg Matthews Building,’ he remembers. ‘They were doing a project for a family that purchased two blocks side by side, in the unforgettable location of Hamilton Island’s Point Henning.’

From the project’s beginning, it was clear that the house would evolve into something special. Combining rough, textured concrete surfaces with glazing’s sheen, the home’s complex yet intuitive style perfectly complements its secluded natural location.

‘It’s a remarkable building – all concrete, with an impressive 30m³ of this material going towards its construction,’ says John. ‘Even the concrete footings used in this place were incredible feats of building and engineering, being designed to withstand a category 3 cyclone. This remarkable house isn’t going anywhere!’ and this was proved in 2017 by how well the house faired during Cyclone Debbie.

And while the house’s robust timber-look board formed concrete doesn’t give anything away, it’s an environmental wonder boasting incredible levels of sustainability. ‘The “green roof” cools the building naturally, for example,’ notes John. ‘Landscaping all contributes to reduce the site’s impressively minimal energy consumption.

‘The architect Renato D’Ettorre from Renato D’Ettorre Architects, has designed the garden areas and ponds as part of the house’s cooling system – it’s incredible’ John continues. Expansive pools and ponds were primarily located to reduce radiant heating.

As befits such a home, the challenging brief exercised every facet of JH Glass Innovation’s expertise. ‘We were called in to do the four massive pool windows, as well as the huge glass skylight perched over the main double height living area,’ he says. ‘Combined, these engineering challenges occupied us for some time.’

The glazing now seems like an organic component, but the sheer physical demands required to haul those large glass panels into position won’t be forgotten in a hurry. John does his best to recreate the scope of what had to be done.

Start with the skylight, as the photos illustrate. ‘We fabricated a special structural frame to house the skylight,’ John says. ‘Working daily under this fully enclosed glass portal, featuring an encased glass bridge, was a spectacular experience.’

Figuring out how to incorporate that piece of glazing called for lateral thinking. ‘The large skylight over the living room ceiling measured 2.4m x 3.4m – all in one piece,’ says John. ‘We had to fabricate a huge structural frame to support that piece of glazing, fit it to the glass, and lower the entire section into position.’

Adding to the drama was a set of operable louvers, which were equally challenging to fit. ‘These were made and fitted over the top to moderate sunlight in the living areas during the day,’ says John. ‘At night, the owner can lie in bed, open the louvers and look at the stars!’

The pool walls contain a vast proportion of glass. ‘Each pool window we installed was the biggest manufactured in Australia at the time,’ he says. ‘At 900mm high and 6m long, they were absolutely huge. Each one was constructed from triple-layered laminated toughened glass, with each sheet weighing a little over one tonne.’

Getting each of these into position was challenging. ‘Each of those pieces of glass had to be road freighted through the island’s harbour, then loaded onto a barge, then shipped to this remote site before being installed.

‘To hoist these oversized glass panels up to the level of the pool wall’s exterior, we actually had a smaller version of a tower crane transported onsite,’ he remembers. ‘Only a project of this high end construction could manage a piece of heavy-duty machinery like that … but there was simply no other way we could have lowered those 6m glazed sheets into position.’

These windows were at the cutting edge of manufacturing capacity. ‘The pool windows were originally going to be even longer, but that was the biggest glazed sheet the glass processor could produce at the time. That extremely heavy multi-layer laminated sheet – three layers of 19mm laminated – resulted in a complete thickness of 60.04mm for that pool window.

‘The challenges with this job went far beyond simply delivering the materials onto the site,’ says John. One of these was the more lenient tolerances of the concrete structure’s window openings. ‘As the structure was entirely made of concrete, there was more “give” with the dimensions,’ John says. ‘That meant we had substantially more variability when trying to fit those windows.’

The roughened look added to the difficulty. ‘With that more rustic finish in many areas, we had to work with openings that had been cut and cast straight into the concrete,’ says John. ‘Once the portal glass was in successfully, for example, we had to trim it out with custom flashings to make it look as visually precise as it could possibly be.’

Throughout the process, John remembers his continued fruitful interactions with the architect. ‘The architect, Renato D’Ettorre, was heavily involved throughout,’ says John. ‘During this award-winning project, he’d consistently tell us what he wanted to achieve and the exact finish he wanted. His precision and clear communications made fulfilling the brief easier.’

The design is notable for its visual simplicity, a feature linked to the architect’s emphasis on liveability. ‘The interior expands as you walk through it and the circulation is fluid,’ John explains. ‘The separate spaces are functionally linked to each other intuitively. The whole house is filled with a multitude of thoughtful, well considered connections.’

Durability was key to the brief. ‘The owner wanted something relatively maintenance-free under harsh conditions, which will take their toll on any premises in that region,’ says John. ‘He was so pleased with the result that he built a similar one next door on his other block!’

The beautiful site’s restrictions affected the building process. ‘Being on an island, was extra-challenging, because we couldn’t just duck out and grab something whenever we needed it,’ he says.

JH Glass Innovation’s involvement unfolded over several sessions. ‘We did the entire job in four trips,’ says John. ‘I first visited to measure the dimensions of the first lot – including pool windows, skylight, and balustrading. Our work on the project took shape over 12 months, because we had to wait for each subsequent stage to be completed before beginning our own work.’

Chas Gianarakis, Engineer at CMG Consulting Engineers, outlines some of the project’s structural hurdles. ‘We worked on the glass roof and walkway, where we were challenged by the house’s location in a cyclonic zone in very open terrain, with a high uplift and lateral wind loads.’

‘Wind loads were the controlling factor when designing the skylight,’ Chas continues. ‘We had to tie it down with some steel galvanised components we manufactured, which had to support the structure without being sucked off the roof.’

‘The roof skylight was made of toughened laminate – 2 x 19mm sheets of toughened glass, with 2.28mm SGP interlayer laminates the panels together. We also did the pool windows, which were 60.04mm toughened laminate – 3 x 19mm toughened glass with 2 layers of 1.52mm SGP interlayer.

‘One of our aims was to minimise bolts, clamps and fixing elements on everything we created,’ Chas continues. ‘For example, the challenge in creating the glazed link between bedroom and ensuite was to make this section aesthetically pleasing – meeting both the architect and clients’ brief while retaining structural integrity with a frameless design.’

Achieving this required deep knowledge of how the materials interacted. ‘A detailed project such as this drew on expertise we had accumulated over a long period, through testing and constructing prototypes,’ he notes. ‘In constructing that frameless glass link, for example, we had to understand exactly where each of the loads would be applied to the glazing.’

It’s impressively heartening to see the results of such meticulous dedication and craftsmanship, a house offering its lucky owner a commanding yet sensitive presence within an unforgettable natural landscape.

Renato D’Ettorre Architects www.dettorrearchitects.com.au

In 2011, Solis receive the National Architecture Award for Residential Architecture from the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA), along with the Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture from the Queensland Chapter of the AIA.

The AIA National Residential Award is the most significant residential architecture prize awarded in Australia.