Sliding Glass Systems

The project was ultimately successful, not only in its refurbishment of the interior rooms and reconfiguration of the space, but in its enlargement of the windows to truly capture views of the surrounding lagoon and mountains. This expansion of the view was done in part through an open corner window scheme and floor-to-ceiling glass, manufactured by Western Window Systems. The uninterrupted glass walls afforded by open corner technology is one of the most effective ways architects can open an interior space to the stunning vistas of a natural environment. Yet an even more striking configuration increasingly being employed by residential architects is that of the open corner sliding glass door – a system that can even more completely open an interior space to the unobstructed outdoors. Below, we discuss this technology in more detail, alongside several examples of projects using the open corner glass door.

The design and materials of open corner windows and doors vary depending on the manufacturer. Western Window Systems, the manufacturer in charge of the windows of Malibu Crest, uses tempered glass as a default for open corner products due to its greater strength than regular glass. At the open corner of a window, manufacturers will typically simply butt the two panes of glass together. In this case, however, the two sheets of insulated glass are joined in a 90-degree wedge shape, creating a seamless connection, with silicon inserted between the two to seal the unit. For their open corner multi-slide doors, the frames and design are equally dramatic: with a unique extrusion attached to the end of one panel, the adjacent panel sliding in at a 90-degree angle simply nestles in smoothly.

The energy efficiency of these open corner systems is nearly identical to those of regular windows and glass doors, making their primary advantage the added aesthetic value. Open corner windows and doors, by eliminating a corner structural frame or wall, have the effect of blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior, making walls feel less like walls and more like a portal into the outdoors. Flattening the view into what feels like a 3D landscape painting spanning two adjacent walls, open corner windows visually bring light and nature into a home or room even while maintaining the physical barrier between the two.

When opened, open corner sliding glass doors conversely remove the barrier between interior and exterior completely, an effect accentuated by the lack of a corner frame communicating the structural boundaries of the home. Instead, any exterior space and the internal room become one, making open corner glass doors an especially useful product for homes with outdoor amenities such as outdoor grills, dining areas, or pools.