A strong film provides for transparency and safety

The glass balustrades create a very open atmosphere in the London Westfield Shopping Center. They consist of around 2,000 free-standing laminated safety glass panes with high-strength SentryGlas® interlayer by DuPont. Photos: Kite Glass

In one the biggest European inner-city shopping centres, laminated safety glass balustrades using SentryGlas® interlayers made by DuPont offer the highest standard of transparency while being compliant with the strictest requirements to safety.

In October 2008, the London Westfield Shopping Center opened its doors. Comprising more than 280 retail shops distributed on a sales area of approximately 150,000 square metres, almost fifty restaurants, recreation areas, a library and a cinema, the two-storey shopping mall intends to attract more than 20 million visitors every year. Maximum transparency combined with a very open ambience within the building unit are achieved by using glass balustrades designed by the company CMF Ltd., Feltham, Middlesex (Great Britain), and manufactured by the British construction glass manufacturer Kite Glass.

A total of 2,000 round and free-standing laminated safety glass elements will edge the shopping arcade in the first storey, as well as staircases and parts of the external entrance. The design of 1,500 laminated safety glass elements is planar, the remaining elements are bended. An unobtrusive support arm construction is used to fix glass panes with the dimension of 1.1 x 1.3 metres to the ground. Handrails fixed by means of point fittings connect the glass elements, but have no additional support function.