Pembridge House, Retractable Glass Canopy

Street CraneXpress have created a bespoke moving glass canopy for a private residence in London’s Notting Hill. The concept for the curved canopy was designed by Westarchitecture, but they required Street CraneXpress and their technical expertise in order to turn the concept into reality and to create the means by which the canopy can be moved. The client chose Street CraneXpress for this project due to their involvement with the retractable roof for Wimbledon’s Centre Court.

The structure itself is a curved glass panelled assembly, designed to cover the terrace of the residence, and retract back over the roof of the building when not in use. At a size of 3m x 3m, the canopy can be deployed in just 30 seconds.

Mounted on a frame which also houses the electric motor drive and control panels, the glass canopy can be stopped in either the ‘open’ or ‘closed’ positions, or anywhere in between depending upon the level of cover required. All controlled by the touch of a button in the dining room.

The drive pulleys and motors work in conjunction with a fixed length of toothed belt secured to the underside of the curved channels of the frame. This provides the means to move the canopy whilst ensuring that it remains secure in all positions.

Both the pulley and belt, as well as the glass structure and frame were designed to withstand cantilevered loading when deployed; a necessary requirement due to the shape of the canopy. The structure was then fully weatherproofed and built to withstand potential load conditions from the snow and wind.

The canopy is designed to be quiet in operation, and was painted grey to match the aluminium fascias and glazing, as per client requirements.

This is just one example of Street CraneXpress’s ability to adapt industrial solutions to the residential marketplace.