Sliding Glass Door Specification for Marine Environments

minimal windows^® Sliding Glass Doors in Marine Environments

Marine environments are classed as areas that are located within 5 miles of the sea or other large bodies of water such as lakes. These environments often have harsher air conditions with increased levels of moisture, salt or alkaline. The term ‘marine environment’ is also often applied to areas such as indoor swimming pools, again where the air is harsher and higher in moisture.  

When looking at any building material in these types of locations, extra care and consideration is needed, especially for elements such as the glazing. There are certain types of glass and framing materials that are better suited to these environments. 

Having the right glazing solutions in a residency is important to improve the life quality of the owners as high-quality glazing and increased natural light can improve the functionality of a space and have a positive impact on sleep cycles. 

Minimally framed glazing increases the natural light and provides stunning views, especially if the property is around the sea. The minimal windows^® slim sliding glass door system can be used to create biophilic living spaces and connect the surrounding nature to indoor spaces with flush threshold detail.  

Our high-quality sliding glass doors can also be designed to match any architectural design in either a traditional or modern style house, due to the bespoke nature of the system.

Aluminium Glazing by the Coast

Any property within 5 miles of the sea is in a marine environment. These areas have more potential dangers for glazing due to high levels of alkaline and moisture in the air as well and salt deposits that are carried by winds that roll in from the sea. 

All these elements have the potential harm to the glazing and its framing profiles if the right systems are not specified. Therefore, all glazing frames should be coated with marine grade polyester powder coating (PPC), and PPC must be at least 50 microns thick.  

Aluminium is also naturally rust and corrosion resistant against this harsh environment, unlike steel or timber which would need to be specially treated in order to not be damaged in these locations.  

As standard minimal windows^® aluminium sliding glass doors are finished with a marine grade PPC as standard, and we also recommend pre-anodising the frames in these harsh environments.  

Coastal areas tend to have high winds, especially during the cold weather. minimal windows triple glazed units and framing can handle strong winds and shows high insulation performance to create a comfortable living temperatures in the spaces.

Old Quay which is in River Yealm is a new build house on the cliffside which used aluminium framed architectural glazing in various locations. Floor-to-ceiling, ultra-slim sliding glass doors had triple glazing for extra strength against cold sea winds and harsh conditions. Read all details on the case study.

Aluminium Glazing by Swimming Pools

Internal pools are in the list of marine environments because the air has high chemical elements such as chlorine which affects the surrounded environment. These chemicals can damage the glazing as they can cause timber to rot and steel to start corroding. Therefore, aluminium framed or frameless glazing should always be specified for these environments. 
To protect the glass and its system, different types of coatings can be applied like PPC for the framing or a low-maintenance coating for the glass panes. The glass should be also laminated to prevent any harm after broken. Laminated glass continues to stay in place when panes are shattered and won’t fall into small pieces until replaced. 
minimal windows^® sliding glass doors expand the indoor pool spaces through to the outside when opened. Flexible glazing solutions can be manufactured in bespoke shape size to fit the requirements for any project.
Claywood House is a great example of having aluminum glazing solutions around swimming pools. The marine-grade coating on the sliding glazing panels protects the glazing against harsh chemicals that comes from the swimming pool.  
The framing material high-quality aluminium provides natural protection and performs better than steel framing profiles.

Glass Options for Marine Environments

There are wide range of glass options to use with minimal windows^® architectural glazing solutions. These options are useful to increase the functionality of the glazing and protect from the potential damages.  

If the property has a glazing in the South facing part of the building, solar control coating will be helpful to reduce the high level of heat from the sun when it is too strong. This coating also helps to protect the glass and can aid with prolonging the glazing lifespan. 

Another way to protect glazing in marine environment areas is applying low maintenance coating. This coating is applied on the external side of the glass to create a very smooth surface. The smooth surface will make it extremely difficult for dirt and debris to cling to, helping to reduce how often the glass needs cleaning and how long it takes to clean. 

minimal windows^® system’s glazing already has a low e coating and uses argon gas cavities as standard for high thermal performance. The insulation can be improved when using triple glazed system like minimal windows 4+ triple glazed sliding glass doors. This sliding glass doors can be manufactured up to 12m² per sliding glass panel.

The modern beach houses in East Sussex show the best example of moving glass walls with sliding glass doors. The marine environment was effective for the glazing due to the close distance to the ocean on the sand dunes. 

In these types of scenarios, marine grade coating or/and solar control coating are essential to protect the glazing and provide a longer lifetime.

If you would like to have more information on slim sliding glass doors or marine environment glazing, contact the minimal windows^®  glass experts today.