Tor Bryan is the renovation and extension of a 1960s mid-century modern home in Ingatestone, Essex. Designed by Brian Heron of Tidal Architects, the project transforms a compact, enclosed kitchen into an open-plan family space while preserving the distinctive geometry of the original house.
The property forms part of a modernist estate developed between the 1960s and early 1970s. Its curved, barrel-shaped entrance pod provided the starting point for the extension’s design. Rather than introducing a separate architectural language, the new addition carries this curvature towards the garden through timber cladding, bespoke glazing and coordinated interior detailing.
IQ Glass designed, supplied and installed the specialist glazing package, comprising a curved structural glass window and an elongated frameless rooflight.
A continuous curved glass elevation
The extension’s principal garden-facing window was manufactured as a single curved insulated glass unit. This creates a continuous glazed elevation without intermediate pane joints, allowing the curved form to remain clearly expressed.
Measuring approximately 3.2 metres along its arc and 1.4 metres high, the glass follows a 2.4-metre radius. Its geometry enables the glazing to follow the building’s rounded perimeter while maintaining broad views across the garden.
The window uses the Invisio thermally broken structural glazing system. Aluminium perimeter profiles are concealed behind the external timber cladding and connected to the insulated wall structure, creating a frameless appearance externally. The curved double-glazed unit achieves a centre-pane Ug value of 1.0 W/m²K.
Bringing daylight deeper into the plan
An approximately 6.5-metre-long, one-metre-wide frameless rooflight extends across the new accommodation and the former link between the house and garage. Its position introduces daylight into the kitchen and circulation areas beyond the garden-facing window.
The rooflight comprises three structural glass panels installed with a five-degree fall. Internally, gently curved plaster edges soften the opening and continue the architectural language established by the extension.
Solar control glass provides approximately 70% light transmission with a g-value of 0.35. This specification admits generous daylight while helping limit the solar energy entering through the overhead glazing.
Connecting architecture and interior design
Curved forms continue through the kitchen island, worktops and joinery, linking the glazing with the wider interior scheme. The garden-facing window provides the principal outlook, while the rooflight distributes daylight through the deeper parts of the accommodation.
Together, these elements create a brighter and more connected family living space. The extension adapts the house for contemporary use while retaining the mid-century character that informed its design.
Location: Ingatestone, Essex, United Kingdom
Architect: Brian Heron, Tidal Architects
Specialist glazing design, supply and installation: IQ Glass
Photography: David Valinsky
