Spider Glazing — Routels, Glass Fins and Tie Rods

What we deliver

Point-fixed structural glazing using spider routels, with glass fins and tie rods as the supporting structure where the design calls for maximum transparency.

Spider glazing has the least margin for error of any glazing system on a project. Each panel hangs from four bolted points, holes are drilled before toughening and cannot be changed, and there is no frame to conceal a dimensional error. Everything has to be correct at fabrication.

Scope of works

Stage	What we deliver
Design	Wind load to IS 875 Pt 3, glass thickness, fitting selection
Back-up structure	Glass fin, tie rod or steel design and detailing
Survey	Structure surveyed before glass is ordered — holes are fixed
Fabrication	Hole positions set, glass toughened and heat-soaked
Installation	Fitting setting, articulation check, panel setting, sealing
Handover	Water testing, inspection, documentation

What drives the cost

Glass thickness, set by span and wind pressure · fitting type — countersunk routels cost more than standard bolts and give a flush face · whether the back-up is glass fin, tension rod or steel · panel size · height and access · heat soaking.

Where projects go wrong

• Non-heat-soaked toughened glass. Nickel sulphide inclusions cause spontaneous breakage years later, over an occupied space.
• Setting out from the building rather than the glass. Holes are fixed at fabrication; the structure must be surveyed and built to match.
• Under-designed back-up structure. Spiders transfer the entire wind load into whatever is behind them.
• Rigid fittings. Fittings must articulate, or bending moment is forced into a drilled hole — the weakest point in the panel.
• Specifying it across a full elevation. High cost, weak thermal performance, difficult sealing.

Why Hagerstone

Facade engineering leadership — a Director with 25+ years in premium facade solutions, structural glazing and high-rise exterior execution, with a dedicated 20-member facade team.

100% in-house execution across curtain wall, spider glazing, cladding and fenestration, so the transition from a spider-glazed atrium into the surrounding facade is detailed by one team.

79+ quality checkpoints under ISO 9001 / 14001 / 45001 certification.

Standards referenced

Design wind pressure to IS 875 (Part 3). Architectural safety glass to IS 2553 (Part 1) — toughened for point-fixed applications, with heat soaking specified explicitly.