Saadiyat Island Villa

A private client on Saadiyat Island commissioned a full glazing overhaul for a recently completed villa shell. The brief centred on three key elements: a dramatic triple-height glazed atrium over the main entrance hall, an unobstructed rear elevation opening to the landscaped garden and pool, and a motorised skylight above the central staircase to introduce natural light to the heart of the building.

The curtain wall atrium presented the primary structural and specification challenge. At 11 metres in height, the TP52 system required a bespoke intermediate pressure plate detail to manage the thermal and wind load requirements without visible fixings. Coordinating the three interconnected systems — curtain wall, lift-and-slide and rooflight — while maintaining a consistent glass specification across all three was the central design exercise.

Cortizo TP52 curtain wall was used for the full atrium, with hidden pressure plates and structural silicone joints for a seamless visual result. The rear elevation was glazed with four-panel Cor Vision Plus lift-and-slide systems, flush to the internal finish level. A 2.4m × 1.8m motorised rooflight with solar-control glass and an integrated blind was installed over the staircase void. All three systems were specified with matching solar control glass to ensure a consistent external appearance across the full envelope.

The project was delivered in 14 weeks from contract to handover. The triple-height curtain wall atrium became the architectural centrepiece of the villa, with multiple visits from other Saadiyat Island homeowners who subsequently commissioned Swiftrooms for their own projects.