The Auckland apartments using curved glass to exude modern luxury

In contemporary architecture, glass is fundamental. More than solely a material to look through, glass is a feature within itself. I.M. Pei's work, the Louvre, in Paris, is an iconic example of this concept. His use of glass allows tourists to marvel at the surrounding historic buildings, but its application creates a remarkable, sculptural form in a seamless reflection of its interior.

Inspired by the glass petals of Tiffany lamps, Mark Forrest established Glasshape in 1986 to explore the possibilities of bent glass. The family business had humble beginnings; fashioning a homemade furnace in their garage, Mark spent countless hours experimenting. Nearly 40 years later, Glasshape has invested in its people and technology to become a leading innovator, designer and manufacturer of bent, tempered, laminated, and digital ceramic print specialty glass.

"Today, we bend glass for almost any curved architectural application or design, such as spiral staircase balustrades, curved double and triple-glazed windows, shopfronts, revolving doors and overhead canopy glazing," shares Brendan Forrest, New Zealand Area Sales Manager. "Our highly customised manufacturing capabilities enable us to produce other specialist glass products such as anti-bandit glass, intruder-resistant glass, and bullet-resistant glass."

Situated on a sloping, narrow site with expansive views of the Hauraki Gulf, the Sonata Apartments consist of five thoughtfully designed apartments. Glasshape’s signature bent glass with low-emissivity technology, Tempershield, was used for the curved, full-height double-glazed units to maximise the space, view, and energy performance. "The architects took advantage of the view through bent glass," explains Brendan. "Otherwise, flat glass with many joins or mullions would interrupt its beauty."

Frameless bent glass balustrades with structural Sentryglas laminate ensure the view remains unobstructed. "This decision eliminated the need for an interlinking handrail, which would interrupt that stunning view from wherever you were inside the apartment." 

From the outside, the soft curves of glass are a prominent feature to look at, exuding a sense of luxurious modernity. Inside, residents look through to the prestigious St Heliers Bay and the distant, familiar curves of Rangitioto Island. The curved glass is more than functional; it's a feature within itself, existing in harmony with the curves of the waves and mountains. 

As is often the case, the topography presented both an opportunity and a challenge, demanding a clever strategy. Though Glasshape offers 'NSureGlaze', a warranty that covers any breakage, manoeuvring full-height, curved facade glass around the edge of the building was not an option. 

Instead, Glasshape built custom crates for each area of the curved windows, enabling the on-site crane to deliver each crate of windows to the required levels for installation. Their in-house design team digitally measured the as-built balcony structures to ensure each piece of curved glass was a perfect fit. "This ensured the installation teams onsite received glass that fitted like a glove," Brendan adds. 

The exterior palette is complemented by textured and polished concrete, contrasting with anthracite zinc cladding, timber soffits and stone paving. Inside, natural limestone and aged timber textures evoke an organic modern design style. 

Glasshape's experience with marine glass proved helpful to ensure the quality of the product. "Marine demands a very high quality with near no allowance for defect," Brendan explains. "This demand for quality in these sectors has seen scanning equipment introduced throughout our manufacturing plant, which picks up defects not visible to the human eye. The same equipment is used to scan all glass that processes through our plant, ensuring projects such as Sonata Apartments receive optimum quality products."

The achievement resulted from the diligent, collaborative work of architects at Buchan, glass specialists at Glasshape, and their partners at Metro Performance Glass and Innovative Glass, who assisted with the installation. 

For years to come, residents of the Sonata Apartments will be rewarded by Glasshape's intelligent articulation of curved glass from both the interior and exterior. "Its use compliments the surroundings and the uninterrupted view out to Rangitoto and beyond."

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