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Project Snapshot:

Location: Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth
Building type: Landmark visitor attraction
Service delivered: Glass floor replacement
Access method: IRATA glazing team, MFC 750 Mini Floor Crane and Wood’s Powr-Grip P11104
Project type: Planned remedial glazing works, out of hours to minimise disruption
Project date: June 2026

The Brief:

Spinnaker Tower is one of the South Coast’s most recognisable landmarks, and its glass floor is among the features visitors come to experience. When all four of its triple-laminated structural glass units developed surface scratches and visual imperfections over years of public use, Dynamic Access was appointed as the specialist installer, working in partnership with Pendrich Height Services.

The work demanded a contractor comfortable handling heavy structural glass in a live public setting. Our remit covered the full installation: removing and disposing of the worn units and installing the four replacements to specification, carried out overnight so the attraction stayed open by day.

The Challenge: 

Replacing structural glass inside a live visitor attraction leaves no margin for error. Each unit weighed 277kg and formed part of a load-bearing floor, so every lift, handling step and installation tolerance had to be controlled to the millimetre.

The replacements were specified against the on-site O&M information and the existing glazing specification, confirming the units matched the original build-up exactly, so the finished floor met the performance the structure was designed around, rather than simply matching size.

The work could only happen out of hours, behind a closed cordon, to keep the public safe and the attraction trading by day. With a confined floor space to work in and 277kg of structural glass to manoeuvre, success came down to one thing: faultless execution, first time.

Our Solution:

We deployed an experienced IRATA glazing team and a lifting setup built for the tight working area. An MFC 750 Mini Floor Crane paired with a Wood’s Powr-Grip P11104 vacuum lifter let us move each unit under full control through removal and reinstallation.

The job was planned around a single out-of-hours possession. Access, lifting sequence, cordoning and installation method were all settled before anyone stepped on site, so the shift ran to plan with nothing left to chance.

The Outcome:

All four units were removed and installed in the planned night shift. The attraction reopened on schedule with no disruption to visitors and no snags on handback.

The project shows where Dynamic Access adds value: the installation specialist trusted to deliver structural glazing on high-profile, hard-to-reach structures, combining controlled lifting with disciplined out-of-hours work that keeps landmark buildings open and trading.

For specialist glass floor replacement or other technically demanding commercial glazing works across the UK, Dynamic Access delivers carefully planned installation solutions for landmark structures, public buildings and commercial assets.

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