Installing oversized architectural glass is challenging enough when there is clear access above the final glazing position. Add a soffit or structural overhang, however, and a conventional vertical lift may no longer be possible.

This GGR Group project is a strong example of how specialist lifting equipment can overcome exactly that challenge. The installation involved some exceptionally large glazing units, with the biggest panels measuring approximately 8.5 metres high by 3.5 metres wide and weighing 3.6 tonnes each.

The glass formed part of the striking front elevation of an eco-focused private residence designed by award-winning architects Pringle Richards Sharratt. Built on one of the UK’s oldest country estates, the property was designed around ambitious environmental goals, with expansive glazing playing an important role in both the appearance of the building and its connection with the surrounding landscape.

Handling glass on this scale required a vacuum lifter with serious capacity. GGR Group’s Hydraulica 4000 Quad-Circuit Vacuum Lifter was used to securely handle the glazing units, offering a maximum lifting capacity of 4,000kg.

For glazing positions with unobstructed access from above, the Hydraulica 4000 could be suspended directly from the crane and used to manoeuvre the glass into place. The challenge changed where panels needed to be installed beneath the building’s soffit.

A crane hook naturally hangs directly above its load. When a soffit projects beyond the glazing line, that means the crane hook, lifting chains or other rigging can reach the obstruction before the glass reaches its required position.

This is where an overhang beam becomes an important part of the lifting arrangement.

For the affected glazing units, the Hydraulica 4000 was combined with GGR Group’s Libro 5000 Overhang Beam. Rather than suspending the vacuum lifter directly beneath the crane hook, the Libro creates an offset between the lifting point and the load. The glass can therefore be positioned forward of the hook, allowing it to travel beneath a soffit or other projecting structure.

To make that possible while keeping the complete lifting arrangement balanced, counterweights are positioned on the opposite side of the beam. As the glass is suspended from the front of the system, the counterweights balance the load around the crane lifting point. This effectively provides the outreach needed to place heavy glazing where a conventional vertical lift cannot reach.

On this project, the Libro 5000 was only required for the units positioned beneath the soffit. It was not used for every panel. Where there was clear access above the glazing position, the Hydraulica 4000 provided the required lifting solution on its own.

That ability to configure lifting equipment around individual glazing positions is particularly valuable on complex façades. A project may include straightforward vertical lifts alongside panels that need to be installed beneath balconies, roof structures, canopies or other architectural projections. Overhang beams allow contractors to solve those restricted-access lifts without changing the architectural design or relying on excessive manual handling of the glass.

When the loads involved reach several tonnes, however, specifying the correct equipment becomes especially important. The weight of the glazing, required outreach, position of the crane hook, counterweight requirements and capacity of every component within the lifting arrangement all need to be considered as part of the lift plan.

The combination of the Hydraulica 4000 and Libro 5000 on this project demonstrates what specialist lifting equipment can make possible. With the vacuum lifter securely controlling a 3.6-tonne glazing unit and the overhang beam providing the necessary offset beneath the soffit, even exceptionally large glass could be positioned within a challenging architectural environment.

For glazing contractors facing oversized panels, restricted hook access or glass that needs to be installed beneath an overhang, GGR Group can help specify a lifting solution around the requirements of the project.