A Seven Metre Glass Dome for a Period Mansion

This client wanted an unusual dining room at their imposing Georgian mansion. The answer was a glass dome seven metres in diameter, styled to period-accurate Georgian proportions and built to feel freestanding rather than bolted on.

The dome is made up of 28 structural segments. Their spars were run from a bespoke production die made for this project alone, then precision-bent over a press, and the glazing is single-piece curved double glazing tailored to the arc of the frame. Weight transfers evenly down the 28 spars into a dedicated circular ring beam, which removed the need for horizontal purlins and left completely unobstructed sightlines to the sky. A low-level curved glass link corridor connects the dome to the house, preserving the mansion's original masonry footprint and giving the structure its standalone appearance. From ground to the summit of the leaded cupola it stands over eight metres.

The harder problem was reconciling modern structural glazing with strict 18th century detailing. Modern double-glazing tracks are masked behind deeply profiled, handcrafted timber joinery cut to match the mouldings of the main residence, and an intricate clerestory run of windows with elaborate curved glazing bars bridges the scale gap between the lower windows and the cupola above.

Fitting out was its own exercise in logistics. A vast one-piece glass table, sourced from Hong Kong by the client, was lifted in by all-terrain crane before the final entrance layout was closed. The inner face of the cupola was finished in gilded panelling to act as a reflective surface, an antique glass chandelier was rigged beneath it, and inset low-voltage lighting was chased into the internal structural steps to bounce light off the gilding. By day it is a daylight-filled room. After dark it glows.