Phone
(903) 583-7500
Project Overview
Hotel X in Toronto, Ontario, features a rooftop pool designed for year-round use while maintaining panoramic views of the Toronto skyline. The pool enclosure combines expansive glazing with an operable opening that allows the space to transition between an enclosed aquatic environment and an open-air rooftop experience.
Renlita engineered a custom Hinge vertical opening system for the enclosure, creating a 23’-11 3/16”-wide operable connection between the pool and exterior rooftop environment. The glazed system closes at the edge of the pool and becomes part of the exterior enclosure when closed, then raises vertically to open the pool directly to the outdoors.
The Challenge
Creating a year-round rooftop pool in Toronto required a large operable opening that could separate the enclosed pool from cold temperatures, wind, and changing outdoor conditions while preserving the skyline views provided by the surrounding glazing.
The location of the opening created an unusual engineering constraint: the nearly 24-foot-wide system needed to close at the edge of the pool while keeping operating equipment out of the pool and occupied areas. The project therefore required a glazed exterior opening that could move vertically without conventional overhead tracks extending into the enclosure.
The Solution
Renlita engineered a custom Hinge vertical opening system (formerly the S-2000 Hingeway) for the Hotel X rooftop pool enclosure. The motorized counterweight system measures 23’-11 3/16” wide by 9’-8” tall and incorporates 1” Low-E insulated glass, allowing the closed system to become part of the surrounding glazed exterior enclosure.
The Hinge raises vertically at the building envelope without conventional overhead tracks extending into the pool area. Its counterweight-assisted operation moves the large glazed assembly while keeping the occupied space around the pool clear of the door’s operating path.
When closed, the Hinge provides a glazed physical separation between the enclosed pool and exterior rooftop environment while preserving views through the opening. When raised, the nearly 24-foot-wide opening reconnects the pool with the outdoors, allowing the same rooftop amenity to operate in enclosed or open-air configurations as conditions change.
Key Benefits
Year-Round Rooftop Pool Use
The Hinge allows the Hotel X rooftop pool to transition between enclosed and open-air configurations as Toronto’s weather conditions change. When closed, the 1” Low-E insulated glazing provides part of the exterior separation around the pool; when raised, the 23’-11 3/16”-wide opening connects the enclosed pool directly with the rooftop environment.
Track-Free Operation at the Pool Edge
The Hinge operates vertically at the edge of the rooftop pool without conventional overhead tracks extending into the enclosure. This keeps operating hardware and the door’s movement concentrated at the opening rather than across the occupied pool area, allowing a nearly 24-foot-wide glazed assembly to open while preserving usable space around the water.
Insulated Glazing & Skyline Views
The Hinge incorporates 1” Low-E insulated glass across the large exterior opening, allowing the enclosure to maintain views of the Toronto skyline when the system is closed. The glazing provides thermal separation across the nearly 24-foot-wide opening while maintaining the transparent architectural character of the surrounding rooftop pool enclosure.