CASE STUDY: UC Davis Medical Center
Project Uses 20,000 square feet of fire-resistive glazing
This university hospital project is a result of a dual effort to expand an aged, undersized facility and to comply with Senate Bill 1953, which requires hospitals that have Structural Performance Category 1 (SPC-1) buildings (those that are considered hazardous and at risk of collapse or significant loss of life in the event of an earthquake) must be replaced or retrofitted to higher seismic safety standards by 2013.
Central to the project’s design was a large skylight that allows natural light to vertically enter the atrium area and other light wells throughout the building. However, they also wanted to let light flow horizontally into the adjacent hallways, rooms and interior spaces. Because the walls in the atrium and light wells must meet a 2-hour rating, Stantec Architects approached SAFTIFIRST for a solution.
Light well walls
To maximize as much natural light as possible, large portions of the 2-hour atrium and light well walls were made “transparent” by specifying SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX Framing. The doors were made with SuperLite II-XL 90 in GPX Framing to match the transparency of the walls. This way, the architect was able to actualize his design while still meeting ASTM E-119 requirement for 2-hour walls. Using fire resistive glass walls meant that building occupants are protected against radiant heat 24/7, allowing for safe egress in the event of a fire.
To make sure that the fire rated systems matched the look of the non-fire rated systems on the building exterior, SAFTIFIRST matched the GPX Framing used in the interior and exterior fire rated systems with similar profiles and clear anodized finishes.
In addition, architects used fire rated glass in the patient waiting areas to provide a feeling of openness and to help ease anxieties as patients wait to be seen.
The architect used fire rated art glass for the Prayer/Reflection area. By using fire rated decorative art glass, the architect was able to keep his artistic vision for this space while meeting fire rated requirements.
