At the cutting edge
Go Glass’s LED edge lit glass system has opened up exciting new design options for interior glass in both commercial and residential sectors. Managing director Tracy Saunders explains.
We have spent the best part of three years developing our LED edge lit glass offering. There were challenges to overcome, including how to integrate and conceal the technology for the LEDs, but it was vital to the success of the project that we incorporated the right hardware as well.
We needed a solution that would allow us to deliver the aesthetics and standard of finish we wanted and, as a high value offering, it was vital we could supply the system without fear of long-term maintenance problems.
Bohle’s MasterTrack and Vetromount systems gave us the confidence to do just that. They combined the quality we needed, with ease of installation and we knew that we could trust them to perform.
Established in 1978, Go Glass specialises in the design and manufacturer of bespoke glass and systems across commercial and residential sectors and we have been involved on projects at numerous prestigious venues throughout the UK.
We were shortlisted for Glass Company of the Year at the 2017 and 2018 G Awards and were also nominated for a manufacturing innovation award in 2019 for our LED edge lit glass.
Using high-quality, low-iron ultra-white toughened glass and LED lights that are either set in diffusers or in the tracks at the top and bottom of the unit, our LED edge-lit glass allows custom etched designs to be illuminated – in a limitless range of colours – with spectacular effect.
Go Glass is built on a unique mix of artistic design and engineering skills. The family history includes a famous sculptor, Edward Hodges Baily, whose work includes Lord Nelson in Trafalgar Square, and our great grandfather founded an engineering business in Cambridge that ran from 1926 to 2011. Our focus is very much on creating aesthetic, functional solutions for our customers to enhance the space in which they live and work.
Our LED edge-lit glass is a perfect example of that ethos. We originally designed it for commercial applications, for the hospitality sector, as an opportunity to illuminate logos or custom designs etched into the glass, that could be positioned as a centrepiece for a showroom or a hotel lobby or bar.
Using MasterTrack we have developed options for sliding and pocket doors (which allows a glass door to slide into a wall), and with VetroMount, Bohle’s balustrade system, we also developed the option for glass sculptures.
Bohle’s internal sliding door system, MasterTrack is designed to accommodate glass thickness from 8mm to 12.76mm and maximum weights of 60kg, 80kg, 120kg and 150kg. It can be either be wall-mounted or ceiling hung. Capable of being installed in as little as 10 minutes thanks to an easy-to-use clamp system, it is suitable for home improvement and light commercial sectors.
MasterTrack also uses a patented hydraulics system and a double-sided spring to slow the door in a single, ultra-smooth operation – a feature that is also a highlight in the ‘ST’ shower door version.
Bohle’s VetroMount balustrade system has also been designed to make installation as simple as possible, thanks to the innovative mounting kit. This sits inside the profile, fixing the glass into place using a knock-in clamping system and patented ‘zip-lock’ mechanism.
Over the last 12 months or so, due to Covid, we have been kept very busy with demand from the high-end home improvement market for our LED edge-lit system, and we are continuing to develop it further. It’s now smart enabled, so you can activate the LEDs, or change the colours, via Alexa.
As things start to get back to normal again post Covid, we are anticipating an increase in interest from the commercial sector, and we have recently supplied a hinged, LED glass door with a company logo design for offices at The Shard in London.
We’ve worked with Bohle for over 30 years, and we place a lot of value in the quality of the customer service we receive, and in the standard of its offering.
When we were developing our LED edge-lit glass, we needed systems that we could rely on in order for it to be a success. MasterTrack and VetroMount have played a key part in achieving that.
