Abstract: A glass door construction set in a pre-existing frame includes glass door leaves made of two or more panes of glass, which define a top edge, a bottom edge, and two lateral edges. The top and bottom edges include a top and bottom rail, respectively, to enhance the structural integrity of the glass door leaves. The lateral edges, however, remain free of the typical perimeter framing required on current glass doors to meet the stringent impact standards. The glass door leaves each include handles on either side of the glass leaves that are interconnected to effectively create a structural equivalent of an I-beam. The handles provide the necessary structural rigidity along a vertical extent to meet impact standards.

Abstract: A glass door construction set in a pre-existing frame includes glass door leaves made of two or more panes of glass, which define a top edge, a bottom edge, and two lateral edges. The top and bottom edges include a top and bottom rail, respectively, to enhance the structural integrity of the glass door leaves. The lateral edges, however, remain free of the typical perimeter framing required on current glass doors to meet the stringent impact standards. The glass door leaves each include handles on either side of the glass leaves that are interconnected to effectively create a structural equivalent of an I-beam. The handles provide the necessary structural rigidity along a vertical extent to meet impact standards.

Abstract: A glass door construction set in a pre-existing frame includes glass door leaves made of two or more panes of glass, which define a top edge, a bottom edge, and two lateral edges. The top and bottom edges include a top and bottom rail, respectively, to enhance the structural integrity of the glass door leaves. The lateral edges, however, remain free of the typical perimeter framing required on current glass doors to meet the stringent impact standards. The glass door leaves each include handles on either side of the glass leaves that are interconnected to effectively create a structural equivalent of an I-beam. The handles provide the necessary structural rigidity along a vertical extent to meet impact standards.

Abstract: A window construction set in a pre-existing frame includes upper and lower horizontal channel members that respectively engage horizontal top and bottom edges of at least two window panes and first and second laterally spaced vertical channel members that respectively engage vertical outboard edges of the window panes. Each channel member is secured to a corresponding part of the frame and a structural shim is sandwiched between each channel member and its associated frame. The preferred embodiment includes multiple window panes disposed in lateral relation to one another so that all panes are secured at their top and bottom edges and two outboard window panes are further secured along their respective vertical outboard edges. Respective abutting inboard vertical edges of contiguous window panes are joined together by respective strips of silicone, there being no vertical frame members between abutting contiguous window panes.