Breaking point

Following the ban on laminated glass in balustrade applications (due to potential fire spread risks), the specification and glazing industries appear to have partially moved away and found an alternative solution, with some instead reverting to monolithic (i.e. single pane) toughened glass. While the ideal product in low-rise applications, monolithic glass isn’t without its safety risks in high-rise residential buildings, as Andy Lake, Pyroguard’s Sales Director UK & IRE explores further here.

With increasing attention placed on the need for quality housing, it’s important that local authorities and developers are providing a comfortable and safe space for tenants to call their home. Part of this can include providing tenants, even those in high-rise buildings, with access to a private outdoor balcony space.

When it comes to constructing these balconies, glass can be an ideal building material, helping to offer a striking exterior feature and bring more natural light into the individual apartments. However, specifying the correct safety glass solution for these external balustrade applications can be a difficult task, particularly when the goalposts are moving.

Changing regulatory requirements

Approved Document B of the Building Regulations is being modified regularly and as such the required solution is changing. Not too long ago, the go-to solution was plastic foil laminated glass (e.g. with PVB or EVA plastic foil interlayer), rising in popularity as an alternative to monolithic toughened glass — a product that carried with it various safety concerns when installed in high-rise buildings. However, following the Grenfell disaster of 2017, the regulations moved on again, banning the use of such laminated glass on external wall balustrades of high-rise buildings over 18 metres tall (since revised to 11 metres tall). This ban was due to the foil interlayer between the individual glass sheets being highly flammable.

An unfortunate, and potentially dangerous, consequence of this change in regulations is that we are now seeing the old, previously discarded monolithic toughened glass option once again being installed within these high-rise balcony settings. While this product does meet the fire safety requirements and can be an ideal solution for very low-rise applications, it presents some major safety risks for high-rise residential applications. It’s imperative that, while we focus on the new toughened specification requirements from a fire safety point of view, we don’t let other safety standards slip.

Making the right choice

Single pane toughened glass is known to occasionally spontaneously break. Once broken, it has a high likelihood of falling from height, because of its low residual strength. Understandably, this brings with it two major safety concerns: firstly, the risk to building occupants, with a hole or gap in the barrier large enough for someone to potentially fall through; and secondly, the risk to the general public at ground level below, with falling glass debris.

It is for this reason that a different kind of laminated toughened glass, using a chemically engineered, non-flammable interlayer, is the safer choice. Strong enough to accommodate high mechanical stresses, the fact that there are multiple panes (or plies) in the system means that even in the event one ply breaks, the glass will still remain rigid and in place, retaining its strength and durability. This is by virtue of the adhesion of the interlayer and the strength of the retained unbroken pane of the laminate.

Laminated glass solutions

At Pyroguard, we are extremely concerned to once again see monolithic toughened glass being specified and installed on new high-rise development buildings, again putting people’s safety at risk. Whether this is due to value engineering or general confusion with the ever-changing regulations and standards, is difficult to say. What is important is that the industry is aware of the solutions available that meet these new fire safety regulations, without detrimentally impacting fall safety as a result.

Along with our partner Q-Rail, we believe that specifically designed laminated glass, such as Pyroguard Balustrades, with fire safe properties remain the most appropriate solution for glazed balustrades in our high-rise residential buildings. Utilising our engineered fire-resistant interlayer, present in our wider portfolio of fire safety glass products, Pyroguard Balustrades are inherently non-flammable and have a reaction to fire rating of A2-s1, d0.

It is also recommended for the industry to refer to the Standing Committee on Structural Safety (SCOSS) document ‘Structural Safety of Glass in Balustrades’ for further guidance.

New Building Safety Act provisions for high-rise buildings new provisions of the 2022 Building Safety Act came into force on 1st April 2023, including a duty to keep the safety and standard of buildings under review, facilitating improvement in the competence of industry and building inspectors, and a duty to establish a system for the giving of building safety information . Full implementation of the Act is due by october 2023.

But what are the recommended methods to create an effective building safety regime in higher-risk environments such as highrise? the ‘golden thread’ approach was outlined by dame judith Hackett in her report, ‘Building a safer future’. Paul thompson, BIM Manager at ASSA ABLoy opening Solutions, says: “BIM has the ability to create greater transparency and produce this ‘golden thread’ of information, allowing building elements such as doorsets to be managed through a single platform — from specification to installation and ongoing inspection.”

ASSA ABLoy’s openings Studio BIM application integrates with design software to create and visualise openings for complete door, frame and hardware schedules and specifications. this enables seamless extraction of door design intent and all relevant interfaces to assist fabricators to develop complete door requirements that meet Building regulations.

Product information, performance data and budget information are captured within the BIM design environment. through real time, collaborative working, these designs can be validated for compliance, functional performance, and aesthetics plus presented as 3d views that can be fully re-integrated into the overall project design.

With linked internal systems, ASSA ABLoy use this final schedule of information to manufacture the complete doorset solution including the leaf, frame and all specified hardware.

Fire performance construction membranes for high-rise and high-risk buildings these high-performance membranes are designed to achieve the highest levels of fire performance while also protecting the building structure by allowing vapour to diffuse from within the structure towards the exterior keeping the internal components of the wall dry, preventing ‘thermal bypass’ of external air through the insulation, and also performing the secondary task of weather protection and preventing penetration by external environmental impurities such as wind and rain.

Partel, a leading manufacturer of air and wind tight membranes, has combined a decade of industry experience and technical knowledge to develop two new fire-rated breather membranes eXoPerM duro A1 and eXoPerM Mono duro A2, that surpass current fire safety regulation levels for high-rise and high-risk buildings.

Suited to offsite and onsite construction, residential or commercial projects, both products are fully independently certified and tested in accordance with en13501-1. the membranes are compliant with document B Fire Safety and are suitable for use in a range of external wall types, especially in high-rise buildings or those that pose a greater risk of fire safety.

An extension to openings Studio is now widely used in the industry, which offers a mobile app that directly accesses this data for use during the door installation process, ensuring full validity of the finished product prior to project completion. the app also offers an easy to use ‘check box’ system to carry out and capture detailed inspections based on the specific details of each door included in the schedule.

A report validates if a door has remained compliant, or identifies what elements need to be corrected or replaced to return the product to the standard required, providing full traceability and ownership of all changes at all stages.

1. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/362/made

New set of Briton ‘Fire Door Safety’ guides launched Allegion UK, a pioneer in fire safety hardware and manufacturer of ‘Briton’ door controls and exit hardware, has launched its new set of best practice guides, designed to provide a broader understanding of fire door safety in commercial, education and healthcare environments.

In support of fire safety best practice, the three ‘Fire Door Safety in Review’ guides have been compiled using original research from commercial, education and healthcare sectors, drawing upon key insights from building managers and door hardware specialists. Allegion’s research has uncovered several findings and emphasises a fundamental misunderstanding of fire safety responsibility and the importance of fire door hardware across all three fields. The guides are intended to provide essential and accessible information on hardware specification, installation and maintenance, helping responsible persons to improve fire safety standards in their buildings.

Pete Hancox, Country Manager at Allegion UK, comments: “Specification, installation and maintenance are vital components of fire door safety, and we believe it important to raise awareness and improve knowledge on these crucial subjects. The ‘Briton’ door hardware experts at Allegion UK have extensive experience in fire door safety within commercial, education and healthcare environments, and we understand that there is a clear disconnect between legislative fire safety standards and the reality on the ground in these building environments.

“Our research has revealed fire safety is often compromised in these settings. In healthcare, three in four are unsure whether their building’s fire door hardware is installed correctly and operates as it should. Similarly, in education, over 50% of our respondents were not aware of fire door maintenance procedures in their building. And in commercial buildings, almost 40% are not up to date with the latest in fire safety regulations.

“We hope our newly launched guides act as an invaluable resource for those tasked with improving and maintaining fire safety standards in these core sectors.” n You can download free copies of the Briton ‘Fire Door Safety in Review’ guides here www.rdrlink.lak032