Kenyans are integrating corner windows in their projects in a new construction design and trend.
Images of completed and unfinished houses with the new design have sparked debate on whether it is safe or not to build a corner window.
Architecture Lewis Ndichu, while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on Thursday, December 1, delved deeper into the new house layout and clarified house owners’ fears.
Ndichu explained that the style was a modern innovation but insisted that homeowners needed to seek the services of qualified professionals to pull it off.
“The whole idea is crafted during the design stage by a structural engineer and must be followed to the latter by the constructor and supervisor managing the project,” he stated.
Ndichu dispelled concerns about having windows at sections which concrete pillars would have ideally occupied.
“It boils down to weight distribution. The engineer designs the house so that the load of the house is well distributed to cater for the positioning of the window,” he reiterated.
His sentiments were shared by architectural student Cindy Ouma, who echoed that the corner windows are incorporated on multiple-storey buildings with several adjustments.
“The columns can be placed anywhere in the structure and in the case of corner windows, they can be placed on the edges,” she explained.
Ndichu explained that the concept is similar to cantilevering, which is used in hanging balconies – those on the house’s upper floors without columns attached to the ground.
“The structures are aligned in such a way that the load is distributed horizontally from the linton of the building,” Ndichu added.
He further explained that specific types of glasses can be used, noting that the strength of glass is determined by its thickness, measured in millimetres.
Nonetheless, the execution of the design determines the final presentation of the product.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
