Guide to Buying a Folding Glass Wall

Posted by hw on August 27th, 2019

In a school building, convention center or public facility, space is precious. Sometimes an internal divider is all that stands in the way of doubling an oversized presentation or lecture amphitheater into small seminar rooms for niche talks or small classrooms for elective courses. One such divider, the folding glass wall, is not only versatile in size and design but also sound-insulated so rooms can keep the noise out of one another. It has the ability to transform ample work space into several muti-functional areas with a separate entrance, only as needed.

In the home, a folding glass wall is a space-efficient means to create breezeway, spa bathroom and shower room enclosures. If it's unfolded, it protects solariums, greenhouses and pool houses from harsh weather conditions. If it's folded, it simply lets you enjoy the sun without obstructions, add more entry and exit points, or make your house seem bigger. In commercial establishments, it serves as classy office lobby and company board room dividers, elegant banquet and private party enclosures.

Movable, hinged glass panels are affixed to special adjustable brackets moving along a guiding track, either overhead or floor mounted. Top load walls use an overhead guiding track from which hang the panels. The track bears the full weight of the panels so it eliminates the need for a corresponding bottom track, but there is a maximum weight it can handle. Bottom load walls use a floor guiding track on which rest on the panels so weight is not an issue, but it requires the support of a corresponding overhead track.

Folding partitions are not limited to walls but also include doors and windows. Clear or decorative, white etched or color tinted, the panels of a folding glass wall are a choice of inswing and outswing, sometimes French leaf, cornerless and segmented radius. They fold like an accordion wall to the side where the track ends, but they may also be sliding or fold away from screens. Panel frames, tracks, hinges and wheel ball bearings are generally constructed from stainless steel or aluminum, which does not rust and need not be lubricated. Brackets may feature motorized or manual folding.