Sydney's Galleries Victoria: Old-world charm meets new-world glass technology

In another traditional architectural feature, laminated heat strengthened glass is used for the traditional street awnings that project into the mall and out onto the sidewalk; there is also a large, flat skylight of laminated heat strengthened glass over the mall's main piazza.

Clear glazed walls of 10.38 mm laminated glass are incorporated to form enticing entrances to the laneways.

Greg Crone said: "We set about developing highly transparent entries to allow the building street facade to continue in the laneways. The benefits of architectural laminated glass are becoming more widely accepted, with architects now challenging and extending the boundaries for which it can materially improve the amenity of the built environment and contribute to architectural form. Laminated glass also provides acoustic protection and fulfills safety requirements. The aesthetic variations are endless - from laminating in leaf forms to using tints or spandrel panels. We have used the material many of our projects over the past 15 years, in shopping malls, high rise office buildings, hotels and apartment buildings, throughout Asia, the Middle East and China."