Keystone Lintels’ special steel lintels enable architects to push the boundaries of architectural design.

Innovative and sustainable design solutions have the potential to turn architects’ imaginative visions into built reality. This is why leading manufacturer of steel lintels, Keystone Lintels, provides a range of specialised products and services tailored to each project’s individual needs. With more than 30 years of expertise, Keystone has been producing special lintels that facilitate architectural features, complex shapes, and focal points, enabling truly individual projects.

Bespoke lintel solutions for innovative designs
There is unlimited space for innovation and creativity within the design of specially made lintels. Keystone engineers and production staff have a wealth of experience when it comes to designing and manufacturing out-of-the-box and innovative solutions to achieve the client’s ambitions. Arron Ross, Specifications Executive at Keystone Lintels explains: “There’s a common misconception with special lintels in that we’re only able to provide basic loading special lintel solutions. That’s not the case. More often than not with the larger spanning special lintels, our technical engineers incorporate structural steelwork into the design. Our shop floor then rolls, mitres, welds and bolts the beams as necessary to form the desired structural shape.”

Designed for a specific purpose, special lintels are bespoke, made-to-order products. Each lintel is specially designed to suit the load or aesthetic requirements for any given opening. The range encompasses a variety of lintel solutions that cater to different architectural visions. For example, Corner Lintels can enhance daylight and a sense of space, while Splayed Bay and Square Bay Lintels can achieve a timeless blend of classic and contemporary elegance. From Large Apex Lintels that are perfect for accommodating impressive glazed openings to Full and Segmental Arch Lintels, Gothic, Parabolic, and Venetian Arch Lintels that provide striking architectural features, Keystone offers a range of solutions for designers seeking creative freedom.

St Clement’s Heights
A mixed-use private housing and supported living project at Sydenham Hill in London, St Clement’s Heights comprises 26 apartments and 20 townhouses. To accommodate a series of impressive architectural glazed features, Saunders Architects required three heavy-duty special lintels to accommodate the scale of the second-floor openings.

The four large glazed apex openings provide a source of natural light to the second-floor master bedrooms, helping to create a bright and comfortable living space. The four-metre wide openings accommodate glazed sliding doors leading out onto the balcony.

Keystone engineers designed a solution that accommodated the two-metre-high apex detail, while also considering the location of the ridge beam to avoid a clash and the need for fixing. The end bearings of the lintel were increased to 225mm to help distribute the load. Additionally, the design incorporated a spreader plate at the apex on the inner leaf to further ensure the structural integrity of the lintel once built, taking into account the position of the steel ridge beam overhead. “We’re always looking to provide innovative solutions for any type of challenge presented to us; big or small,” added Arron Ross.

Sun Lounge systems
Keystone’s Sun Lounge Lintels typify what can be achieved using special lintels and systems on a build. More practical and user friendly than a conservatory, a Sun Lounge Lintel is an easy way to add space and value at low cost when building a new house or extending an existing property. A Sun Lounge Lintel is more visually appealing than a conservatory and offers much better heat retention in winter, as well as protection from the blazing summer sun.

Furthermore, a sun lounge floor area can be included in the overall measurement of your house, increasing its value. It goes through the same approval and delivery process as Keystone’s other special lintels, and is similar to that of bay lintels in terms of manufacture. If too large to manoeuvre in one piece or to fit onto a delivery truck, a Sun Lounge Lintel can be supplied in two or three manageable pieces that simply bolt together on site.

Personalised service
Keystone Lintels not only offers a special range of lintels but also provides a host of complementary services, including free scheduling and specification, customised design, and on-hand technical expertise. Keystone’s unwavering commitment to its products and customers highlights why it is a market leader.

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Discover our specialised range and complementary services that can transform your design visions into reality. Contact us today.