In Conversation with Andrew Inchley, Yiangou Architects

In this new series, Cotswold Windows speaks with leading architects across the Cotswolds to explore how glazing design shapes contemporary architecture – and how collaboration between architect and glazing specialist transforms ideas into reality.

Here, we speak to Andrew Inchley of Yiangou Architects in Cirencester about how new glazing technologies are opening up design possibilities and redefining the connection between inside and out.

It’s no longer just about light; it’s about lifestyle

Few architectural elements have changed the landscape of contemporary design quite like glazing. Once a boundary between indoors and out, it has become a blurred line – dissolving walls, framing landscapes and reimagining how people live.

For Andrew Inchley, Director at Yiangou Architects, this evolution represents an extraordinary opportunity.

“That idea of bringing the outside in – both visually and literally – is so important to people today,” he says. “The connection between main living spaces and the garden has become fundamental.” 

Where once materials imposed limits, today’s engineering has opened up creative freedom. Premium systems such as Sky-Frame frameless windows & doors are not only changing what’s possible visually but are also redefining how architects can think about space itself.

“Before, we were limited by technologies,” says Andrew. “Windows were more about keeping you safe and warm than about lifestyle because we didn’t have the technology to make it any more aesthetic. Today, we have systems that allow us to keep the fundamentals of the home, but also to make windows bigger, with more glass, allowing more light into the space and more connection to the outside.”

Expanding the Possibilities of Design

Since Sky-Frame launched over 20 years ago, it has changed the way architects imagine a space. Andrew has used Sky-Frame systems in several high-end projects, including pool buildings and glazed links in listed properties, and has even visited the research and development laboratory in Switzerland. He values the system for the freedom it brings, citing the frameless windows as his ‘go-to’ for contemporary design.  

“The quality of the engineering is what makes Sky-Frame remarkable,” he explains. “They’ve managed to remove the visual clutter so that you don’t see a door or a window – you see pure glass. They perform well with minimal structure and frame and that’s what opens up design for me.”

Collaboration that Turns Concepts into Detail

It’s one thing to imagine vast glass planes on paper – another to make them work in the real world. That’s where Yiangou’s collaboration with Cotswold Windows became integral.

The relationship began after Andrew specified Sky-Frame for a project and discovered that Cotswold Windows were the local specialist, one of just a handful of UK suppliers. Andrew values the expertise – and camaraderie – that Cotswold Windows now brings to the partnership. 

“As architects, we have to look at the whole gamut of the building, but we are not experts on all of it,” he explains. “Knowing that, if there’s a question or a problem you can go straight to them and get things dealt with, it’s really important.”

There’s More to Glass Than Meets The Eye 

In today’s architectural climate, where glazing design is becoming ever more ambitious, that expertise is invaluable. Andrew recalls a project for a listed Cotswold building and pool house that specified large expanses of glass; beautiful on paper, but in reality, the design required four different glazing systems in one building.

“When we conceptualise a drawing like that, often all we see is glass,” says Andrew. “But the glazing has to be suitable for its environment. Cotswold Windows helped us to find the right systems for the different scenarios, and showed us how to tie it all together seamlessly.”

In another project – a Grade II listed Farmhouse House – Yiangou Architects and Cotswold Windows worked together to push conventional glazing boundaries.

“We wanted to try out some new things and were continually asking ‘Can we do this?’” says Andrew. “Cotswold Windows were very much involved in the design process because I had to understand exactly what the product was capable of and whether it would fit into the details that I was drawing.”

Finding the Right System for Every Scenario

While Sky-Frame leads the way in minimalist design, Yiangou Architects also turn to MHB Steel Windows & Doors for projects where architectural detail plays a more expressive role.

“People see that Soho Farmhouse style in magazines and ask for ‘Crittall windows’,” Andrew says. “But they don’t necessarily want the product – they don’t think about the condensation or the cold – they just want the look. With MHB steel, which is a quality, handmade product – and thermally broken – you get the look without any of the problems.”

The Future: Full Transparency

Looking ahead, Andrew believes the indoor-outdoor connection will remain a defining ambition of architectural design. But as window openings get ever bigger, he says that systems will need to adapt to keep up.

“Thermal performance is going to be a concern moving forward, taking planning into account and the amount of glass you can have in a building,” he says. “The better the thermal performance of the glass, the more options there are to have those big openings and the inside-outside aesthetic going on.”

That’s why he always advises clients to go for Sky-Frame when he specifies it for contemporary buildings. 

“I tell clients, if you don’t use the product you see in these 3D renders, it just won’t be the same – there’ll be more frame, it’ll be harder to open and close, it just won’t have the same minimalist look and feel. They might look at other things, but it’s a false economy going for something cheaper – as a client of mine found out to his detriment!”