Page 36 - Tropic Magazine Issue 34

TROPIC • COVER STORY

A reputation for firsts

Capable of undertaking the most complex and
challenging projects that most would shy away
from, JH Glass Innovation has a track record of
achieving Australian firsts in its field.
Here are just a couple of the team’s other
extraordinary feats.

Red Wall at the Emporium Hotel, Brisbane
New design concepts were created to install 450 individual
glass shards with polished edges to form a two-level, 3D glass
wall effect – the centrepiece of the building’s lobby. The colour
alone was a challenge, requiring glass shards to be individually
cut, polished and manually applied with a custom red film.
Individually hand cut mirrors accentuated the red colour,
and red silicone had to be custom made. The cutting of the
shards needed to be perfect due to their triangular shape and
because they would be laid on top of each other, so the project
relied heavily on accurate data and laser set-outs. It also
included the design and fabrication of custom brackets to hold
the shards whilst being invisible to the naked eye. Plus, the LED
lighting behind the wall had to be accessible for maintenance.
A set of doors installed in the hotel’s rooftop bar were also a first,
being the largest top hung frameless sliding doors in Australia.

The outcome: maximum visual impact.

North Shore Towers penthouse, Cairns
This multi-million dollar renovation set new standards of glass
and glazing craftsmanship, design creativity and engineering
boldness. The extraordinary cantilevered glass pool has a
massive 16 tonnes of suspended weight all held in place by
four panels of clear laminated safety glass, each more than
eight centimetres thick. JH Glass Innovation worked on the
project with CMG Consulting Engineers. “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,” John said.
The penthouse also includes a cantilevered glass staircase and
bubble walls, which are basically slimline fish tanks minus the
fish but with extra air hoses (JH Glass Innovation also installed
a bubble wall at the Reef Hotel Casino). The actual fish tank is
the largest in a residential setting in Australia at seven metres
in length. Pretty much all the glass in the penthouse is linked to
custom-lighting which can be controlled by a smartphone.

The outcome: reflectivity, transparency, lightness and texture.

36 • Tropic • Issue 34