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Trends to Watch in Fire Rated Glass Fire rated glass has come a long way since wire glass was introduced as the only fire rated glazing option over 100 years ago. As architects, building owners and the general public demanded safer, better performing alternatives, fire rated glazing manufacturers provided innovative new products that met and exceeded expectations. Certainly, the development of fire resistive glazing capable of meeting CAN/ULC S101 made the most impact, as it transformed the use of fire rated glass from small door lites and openings to wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling transparent walls up to 2 hours and full-vision temperature rise doors up to 90 minutes. In addition, a significant development was recently introduced in the fire protective glazing market segment where architects would no longer have to settle for unsafe wire glass or tinted, expensive ceramics in 45-minute glazing applications required to meet CAN/ULC S104 or CAN/ULC S106.
SuperClear® 45-HS-LI (patent pending) by SAFTI FIRST® is a clear specialty fire protective glazing product tested to CAN/ULC S104 for doors and CAN/ULC S106 for openings with the required hose stream test. It also meets the more stringent CAN/CGSB 12.1 Class A rating for impact safety without the need for films or laminates. SuperClear® 45-HS-LI is made with low-iron glass with a visible light transmission of approximately 90% and costs a fraction of the price of filmed or laminated ceramic used in the same 45-minute application.
As we head into a new year, here are some of the trends to watch in fire rated glass.
Safety Gets an Upgrade Due to the overwhelming public safety concern from several injuries caused by accidental impact with wire glass, the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) released CAN/CGSB Safety Glazing Standard 12.1 in 2017. The new standard states that all glazing used in doors, sidelites and other locations where impact safety is required must meet a Class B rating (18 in. drop height/150 ft. lbs.) or the more stringent Class A rating (48 in. drop height/400 ft. lbs.). Wire glass does not meet this new safety standard. Ceramics are no better than wired glass – it is very brittle and breaks like annealed glass when impacted. To meet CAN/CGSB 12.1, ceramics have to either be filmed or laminated, which adds to its already high cost. Luckily, there is now a safe, economical and code compliant fire rated glass replacement without any dangerous wires or amber tints.
SuperClear® 45-HS-LI in GPX® Architectural Series Frames and GPX® Builders Series Door (pictured above) use low-iron glazing for superior optical clarity that even expensive, premium polished versions of ceramic cannot match.
Maximum Transparency Advanced fire resistive glazing that meets the stringent CAN/ULC S101 wall requirement aligns with the designer’s goal of simultaneously visually connecting and separating space. It contributes to this constant pursuit of transparent design by allowing