2010 Vision Award from Axolotl Metal

Inner city terraces are always in huge demand among home buyers and renovators with their great location, period features and lofty ceiling heights. The big challenge however, is overcoming the issues presented by these often cavernous interiors and the lack of natural light.

Sam Crawford Architects' recent refurbishment of a Newtown terrace illustrates resolutely how once small dark spaces can be gracefully opened and illuminated.

With Axolotl's internal and external glass flooring, light now cascades from one level to the next. The subterranean kitchen space is transformed with light spilling through an external patio glass floor. And the internal glass floor also filters daylight through from the skylit top floor to the middle all the while complementing the glass doors in the passageway.

The floor consists of panels of clear glass laminated with clear PVB interlayers and finished with a seraphic frost non slip surface, so it is as robust and functional as it is decorative.

Unsurprising then that this stunning transformation was Awarded Viridian's 2010 Vision Award for Best Residential Interiors use of glass.

These images clearly demonstrate how glass as a construction medium is ideal for transmission of light and movement, whilst creating a certain degree of privacy and obscurity. The laminated glass is incredibly strong and is no more slippery than other common floor finishes. These qualities open up a realm of possibilities for glass in both residential and commercial spaces.