Hollingsworth Staircase Glass Close

Glass Magazine 2019 Award

WINNER: Nathan Allan Glass Studios
Product: Hollingsworth Glass Stair Treads
Category: Best Glass Interior

A custom home in West Vancouver, Canada, now features a near-floating glass staircase, courtesy of Nathan Allan Glass Studios, nathanallan.com. The unique glass project posed a few challenges for the team, says Barry Allan, owner, Nathan Allan, especially the floating nature of the glass, which is supported only on one side.

“Typically, in glass staircase projects, glass treads are supported on at least two edges of the glass. In most projects, on all four edges. It is rare that a glass stair tread is only supported on one edge, especially when that one edge is a short edge,” says Allan. “To actually have glass treads installed on one short edge is something which we at Nathan Allan have never seen, nor have we previously been asked to produce.”

The company’s engineering team ultimately fabricated a multi-layered tread comprising six layers of tempered safety glass, three specialty laminated interlayers and two additional laminated interlayers for cast glass.

The team also added “glass sandpaper,” small particles of real glass, on both the walking surface, to prevent slippage, and on the bottom layer of glass, to enhance the sparkling effect created by light and allow visibility of the Koi pond beneath the staircase.

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