Modernize Your Office With Glass Partitions

Every commercial fit out should be designed to be as functional as possible for the business you’re running.

Whilst you may not initially think aesthetics are all that important, a great looking office says a lot about who you are as a company to potential clients or customers.

Glass is one popular way to make your office fitout stand out from the rest. Specifically, we’re talking about the Glass Walls, also known as Glass Partitions!

Another thing to keep in mind is that glass partitions aren’t just for aesthetics however and can also be installed for their superior light transfer qualities.

Before we get into how you can use glass partitions, it’s important to be aware of both the technical aspects as well as the Australian code requirements you must comply with before you begin your fitout construction.

Click here to get your quote now

Technical Requirements for Glass Partitions

Glass Partitions are made with laminated safety glass. The construction consists of placing thin polyvinyl butyral also known as PVB between pieces of glass. This layer helps to prevent someone from getting injured in case the glass breaks. PVB is also a flexible substance that actually sticks to glass making it very difficult to penetrate.

The use of PVB in glass walls makes it great for security purposes. Laminated safety glass is often used in office environments where sensitive data or currency needs an extra layer of security. Bullet proof glass is constructed with several layers of PVB and glass.

If you want the look of clear or even tinted glass partitions but also require a high level of privacy, Glass Walls reduce sound transmissions significantly. If privacy is a concern, it’s important to make sure you’re using the right thickness and be up to code.

AS1288-2006 -Glass in Buildings Selection and Installation

If you’re going to add glass partitions to your fitout you must adhere to The Australian Standard Code AS1288-2006. One section of the code is called Glass in Buildings Selection and Installation which dictates the type of glass that can be installed in various building structures.

You should also be aware of Section 5 called the Criteria for Human Impact. This section of the code is to protect areas in your fitout where humans will come in contact with any glass partitions you install. This is why safety laminated glass is required to help prevent severe injury should any glass partition break.

In addition to the above, you must be sure to be aware of pane thickness requirements. The thickness varies depending on glass size but the most common are 6.38mm, 10.38mm and 12.38mm. When erecting glass partitions, there is much more to take into account from the Australian Standard Code AS1288-2006 that goes far beyond the scope of this article.

So be sure to familiarize yourself with the code in depth to make sure your fitout in always in compliance to avoid costly problems in the future.

The Look & Feel of Glass Walls

Now that you have a basic understanding of the technical aspects of glass partitions, let’s take a closer look at the impact glass walls can have on your office fitout. If it’s located in a large building structure and you require longer glass walls, you will also need glass fins.

Glass Fins are made from toughened glass and are installed to provide attractive, but effective structural support.

These are especially useful if you’re looking to create a frameless look with your glass walls. Entryways, stationary and even sliding doors take on a grand modern look.

Deciding To Go With Glass Walls

Now that you have a better idea of how glass partitions can be used in your fitout, take some time to study your space to see if ‘going glass’ is the right move for you. Make sure it makes sense for your type of business and that it fits in with the rest of your fitout’s design.

You may also want to review your lease agreement just to make sure that you’re not breaching your lease by adding glass walls. When you end your lease, you may be required to remove the partitions unless you have negotiated differently.

An area in commercial office fitouts dealing with office electrical, communications and data services is something that is always handled by qualified experts, regardless of the size of the project or complexity of each job.

As with other aspects of commercial fitout, proper planning and execution of electrical, communication and data services are critical to making sure that your new work space is built to provide effective and safe environment in which to conduct day to day business.

In addition to that, a commercial electrician will perform all work under the strict guidelines of Occupational Health & Safety.

Click here to get your quote now

Commercial Electrical Services

No matter how small or how large your fitout may be, a licenced commercial electrical contractor will be handling the installation. Electricians are needed to make sure all of your wiring is installed safely and always corresponds to appropriate standards.

Your needs as a commercial entity may change as time goes on and so you must have a system in place that can grow as your business’ needs expand. Some of the areas that are important to your fitout are, but not limited to:

• Surge protection
• Energy management considerations
• General lighting
• Data & Communications Wiring

Now let’s take a look at some of these…

Additional Power Outlets – (Surge Protection)

When preparing to launch your office fitout, you will need an electrician to plan out and install additional electrical outlets if needed.

Based on the proposed, new layout of your office space, the electrical contractor will inspect your Electrical Switchboard and if necessary, reconfigure it to suit the new layout and its requirements.

Even if your space already has outlets, you may need several more placed in strategic areas where you want to have computers for example but no outlets exist currently.

It’s important to set up your electrical system so that power surges are blocked from reaching all sensitive equipment and possibly causing major damage to your computer network, resulting in valuable data being destroyed.

Energy Management

Every business wants to make more money than they are spending. One way to keep more of your profits in your pocket is by utilizing energy management. An electrician can help you plan ways to not only save money but also help the environment.

This can include a combination of strategies by analyzing the current energy usage and developing a plan to conserve resources. The idea is to find ways to use the least amount of energy as necessary, without sacrificing the quality of the environment in terms of comfort, function and safety.

General Lighting

When planning to add or move partition walls within your office space, you are likely to find that the current lighting layout does not meet your needs.

A commercial fitout provider will sit down with you and go over your design ideas and in consultation with the electrical contractor, begin figuring out how and where new electrical wiring for lighting will need to be installed, if necessary.

Click here to get your quote now

Data & Telephone Wiring

While the fitout company and their electricians will not set up your computer system, they will take inventory of the current wiring and make sure it’s capable of safely handling complex computer setups.

Electricians will also rewire your premises to make sure your phone system and jacks are installed in areas where you need them the most.

We have covered some of the most important areas you’ll need to have taken care of for your office fitout. For now and into the future, this is not an area you will want to cut corners on.

A company such as Sydney Commercial Interiors & Fitouts will ensure that your office electrical, data and communications services are installed safely and in accordance with relevant standards and regulations. Great care will also be taken to satisfy the needs of your business, no matter how exact and complex they may be.