Mall retail units
Glazed frontages coordinated with mall handover conditions, bulkheads and shutter tracks.
Doors & Windows
Shop Front Glass & Aluminium
Retail frontages built for footfall — large toughened panes, entrance systems that survive constant use, and framing detailed so a fascia, roller shutter or signage can be fixed to it properly.
- Large-format toughened glass
- Signage-ready framing
- Fit-out programme aware
Who this work is for
- Business owners
- Retail brands
- Fit-out contractors
- Property managers
Shop Front Glass & Aluminium — project photograph required
Real Al Makan photography goes here. No stock imagery is used on this site.
In practice
A shopfront is a security product pretending to be a display
The visible job of a shopfront is to show the merchandise. The real job is to be the outer skin of the unit: it carries wind load, holds the conditioned air in, supports the signage, absorbs the daily impact of trolleys and deliveries, and has to be secure when the shutter comes down at night. Designing only for the display half is how a beautiful frontage ends up leaking air, rattling in a shamal and unable to carry the sign the brand wants.
Glass selection is where retail differs most from other glazing. Panes are large, they sit at ground level where people walk into them, and replacement means closing the shop. Toughened glass is the minimum. For a street frontage or a mall entrance, laminated toughened is the better specification, because a laminated pane stays in its frame when it breaks — the unit can keep trading behind a cracked pane until it is replaced, rather than standing open overnight.
The framing has to be planned around what will be attached to it. Fascias, light boxes, roller shutter boxes and projecting signage all need fixing points, and the time to build those in is at fabrication, not by drilling a finished frame on site. We ask about signage and shutters before we cut, because a frame with a properly detailed fixing zone looks intentional and a frame with brackets bolted through the face never does.
Then there is programme. Shopfronts sit on the critical path of almost every fit-out: the unit cannot be handed over, the shutter cannot be commissioned and the signage cannot go up until the glazing is in. The survey has to happen at the right moment — after the floor level is known and the bulkhead is set, but early enough that fabrication does not become the reason the opening slips.
A laminated pane stays in its frame when it breaks, so the unit keeps trading instead of standing open overnight.
Where it is used
Shop Front Glass & Aluminium — typical applications
The situations this work most often solves. If yours is not listed, it is still worth asking.
Street-facing shops
Frontages taking direct sun, wind load and street-level impact, specified accordingly.
Showrooms
Large-format panes with minimal framing, where the product is the display.
Restaurants and cafés
Frontages with openable or folding sections where outdoor seating is part of the offer.
Pharmacies and clinics
Frontages combining clear display with privacy glazing to consulting areas.
Refits and rebranding
Replacing glazing and framing in an occupied unit, usually within a tight overnight window.
Design possibilities
Options you can choose from
Finishes, configurations and specification choices available on this work. Samples can be provided before anything is committed.
Frame profile
Slim sightline sections for maximum glass, or heavier commercial profiles where spans and security demand it.
Finish
Powder coating to your brand RAL, anodised silver or bronze, or brushed stainless cladding to the entrance surround.
Entrance type
Frameless doors on floor springs, framed swing doors, sliding doors, or automatic entrances for high footfall.
Glass treatment
Clear, low-iron, tinted, or partially frosted where the back-of-house needs screening from the street.
Signage integration
Fascia zones, concealed fixings and light-box provisions designed into the frame rather than added later.
Security
Laminated glazing, roller shutter coordination, and reinforced framing where the unit is exposed.
Why it matters
What you get
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Built for impact
Toughened and laminated options chosen for a ground-level frontage that takes daily knocks.
-
Signage-ready
Fixing zones for fascias, light boxes and shutters designed in at fabrication rather than drilled in later.
-
Programme aware
We know the shopfront sits on the critical path and plan the survey and delivery around handover dates.
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Maximum display
Large panes and slim framing, so the merchandise is what people see rather than the frame.
Technical
Specification notes
- Glass
- Toughened as a minimum; laminated toughened for street frontages and busy mall entrances.
- Framing
- Aluminium shopfront sections with structural mullions sized to the pane and wind exposure.
- Entrance doors
- Frameless on floor springs, framed swing doors, sliding or automatic entrances depending on traffic.
- Shutters and security
- Coordination with roller shutter boxes and tracks, with fixings planned into the frame.
- Sealing
- Weather seals and structural silicone detailed to keep dust and driven rain out of the unit.
- Finishes
- Powder-coated to brand colours, anodised, or brushed stainless cladding to entrance framing.
Final specification is confirmed at survey, against the actual opening, exposure and use.
How we do it
Our process for shop front glass & aluminium
The steps specific to this work — not a generic checklist.
- 01
Understand the brand and the unit
Fascia height, signage, shutter type and landlord handover conditions all shape the frame before any glass is sized.
- 02
Survey at the right moment
After the floor level and bulkhead are fixed, so the frame is made to the finished condition rather than the shell.
- 03
Fabricate framing and glass
Sections cut and assembled, glass ordered to surveyed sizes with all edgework and cut-outs specified.
- 04
Install to programme
Framing set and fixed, glazing installed and sealed — often working nights or around trading hours.
- 05
Coordinate the follow-on trades
Handover with the fixing points and tolerances the signage and shutter installers need.
Get a price for shop front glass & aluminium
Send drawings, dimensions or a photograph of the space. For anything beyond a straightforward replacement we will arrange a survey, because measuring it ourselves is the only way to quote a price that will not move.
Questions
Shop Front Glass & Aluminium — frequently asked
Yes — most refits in occupied malls have to be done that way. Tell us the access window at enquiry stage, because it affects how we sequence fabrication and delivery, and it does affect the price.
Toughened is the minimum. Laminated toughened is better at ground level, because it holds together when broken and lets you keep trading until it is replaced. We usually recommend laminated on street frontages.
Yes, if we know about it before fabrication. Fixing zones can be built into the framing. Retro-drilling a finished frame is possible but it never looks as good and it can compromise the seal.
We coordinate with the shutter supplier at design stage so the box, tracks and glazing line do not fight each other. This is one of the most common sources of clashes on shopfront jobs.
It matters a great deal — mall handover conditions affect framing depth, finishes and sometimes the glass specification. Send it with your enquiry and we will design to it from the start.
Related work
Often needed alongside this
Automatic Glass Doors
Sensor-operated automatic entrances, single or bi-parting, with the glazing and framing handled together.
Explore service
Glass Swing Doors
Frameless toughened swing doors on floor springs, patch fittings or glass hinges.
Explore service
Tempered / Toughened Glass
Toughened safety glass cut, drilled and edge-worked to size, supplied loose or installed.
Explore service
Cladding Works
ACP and solid aluminium cladding for elevations, fascias, soffits and column casings, on drained and ventilated subframes.
Explore service
Get in touch
Tell us about the job
Drawings, dimensions or just a photo of the space — whatever you have is enough to start.
- Call us +971 56 436 9675
- WhatsApp +971 56 436 9675
- Email almakan.uae@gmail.com
- Workshop & office Ajman Industrial Area 1, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Opening hours Open daily · 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM