Walkable Glass Within the Home

To wrap up our Skylights series, we are featuring an innovative use of glass inside the home: walkable glass floors.

Here's some of our favorite ways we've incorporated walkable glass into our projects:

Unlocking a Narrow Stair Opening with a Glass Floor

In an Upper West Side penthouse-level gym, skylights and glass doors brighten the space and unlock the view. The narrow space would not allow for a large stair opening, so we worked with M2 Contracting to provide a solution to pull sunlight into the rest of the home. A clear glass walkway from IBP Glasswalk provides the perfect amount of light into the lower levels and adds a fun design feature.

Photography: Adam Kane Macchia (first through third)

Glass Walkway Maintains Aesthetic

This gorgeous Cobble Hill carriage house includes a unique three-story open staircase. The glass ceiling above the stairs allows light to pour throughout the house, falling on a two-story living plant wall. Our challenge was devising a plan to connect the areas of the second floor separated by the triple-height space without interrupting the flow of light. We used a frosted glass walkway to prevent otherwise unavoidable shadows onto the lower floor.

Photography: Evan Joseph Images (left and middle)

Walkable Skylight Improves a Sculptural Stair

The existing skylight in this Carroll Gardens Passive House included a long window well to connect the skylight to the main staircase. A ladder connected the attic and the rest of the house, which was not optimal and prevented daily use of the attic. To solve this, we replaced the ladder with a separate staircase, allowing us to keep the main stair's character intact. In order to increase the amount of functional space, we removed the window well and installed a glass floor from Glass Flooring Systems in the attic instead. Alongside SMR Craftworks, we also widened the stairwell of the new, sculptural staircase to increase light flow.

Upgrading a Game Room with a Glass Floor

This attic-level playroom includes many skylights and windows, which allow light to pour into the space. Unfortunately, the attic stair is separate from the main staircase, limiting the amount of natural light able to permeate the rest of the home. We worked with Kleen Construction to include a stretch of IBP Glasswalk flooring over the main staircase. The walkable glass floor solves the light problem, and also serves as a fun design element for the family game room.

Photography: Peter Peirce (left)