In another traditional architectural feature, laminated heat strengthened glass is used for the traditional street awnings that project into the mall and out onto the sidewalk; there is also a large, flat skylight of laminated heat strengthened glass over the mall's main piazza.
Clear glazed walls of 10.38 mm laminated glass are incorporated to form enticing entrances to the laneways.
Greg Crone said: "We set about developing highly transparent entries to allow the building street facade to continue in the laneways. The benefits of architectural laminated glass are becoming more widely accepted, with architects now challenging and extending the boundaries for which it can materially improve the amenity of the built environment and contribute to architectural form. Laminated glass also provides acoustic protection and fulfills safety requirements. The aesthetic variations are endless - from laminating in leaf forms to using tints or spandrel panels. We have used the material many of our projects over the past 15 years, in shopping malls, high rise office buildings, hotels and apartment buildings, throughout Asia, the Middle East and China."
Sydney's Galleries Victoria: Old-world charm meets new-world glass technology
The Galleries Victoria shopping mall in Sydney (completed: August 2000) designed by Crone & Associates of Sydney, reintroduces the winding laneways and alleyways known to the city 150 years ago - but in a modern contextual form, with the inclusion of a floating, laminated glass roof, 22 meters above ground, creating a weather-protected, naturally ventilated series of spaces.