Before the development of fire-resistive glazing, building-material choices were limited when building codes required fire-resistive performance. Typically, designers used conventional solid walls where codes mandated fire safety. For decades, traditional wired glass was the only fire-rated glazing available. But, its application in schools has been severely limited because it is not impact safe and it fails to protect people and property from the dangers of radiant heat.
Advances in fire-rated glazing have delivered new tools to designers working to maximize: aesthetics, daylight reaching deep inside a school building, and campus security. Today, architects apply fire-rated glazing instead of opaque masonry or gypsum or unsafe wired glass in school walls, doors, lobbies, interior courtyards, roofs and exit corridors.
Still, confusion persists about which fire-rated glazing options will meet building codes and provide continuous passive fire protection.
SAFTIFIRST maintains this website to provide up-to-date information on:
- Building codes affecting fire-rated glazing applications. Check out FAQs
- Studies that show it’s greener to renovate schools than to build new.
- Glazing products that can use in transparent walls, large vision panels and sidelites or windows that fill more than 25% of a code restricted location.
- Trends in school design, particularly new funding and ways to use of glazing to improve fire safety, security, student performance, and energy efficiency.
- The dangers of radiant heat and how to protect people and school property.
- Ways to make unsafe wired glass installations safe.
- How to create large vision areas in paths of egress under 2012 IBC and ADA.
- A project gallery and case studies of code-compliant, fire rated glass applications.
- Examples of Fire Resistive Glazing in school settings
SAFTIFIRST emails quarterly newsletters on related topics. Read past issues at Newsletters.