Photo © Denmarsh Photography
Ceramic glazing’s fire ratings exceed the 45-minute limit traditional wired glass can provide. Further, ceramic is approved for use in larger sizes than wired glass. It is also available with a film or in laminated form to provide impact safety as well. Ceramic can be etched, sandblasted, or installed in insulated glazing units (IGUs) for even more design possibilities. Various surface grades and levels of optical clarity can be specified to suit the application.
Brooklin High School in Whitby, Ont., serves as an example of the difference modern fire-rated ceramic glazing can make. Architects of the 16,090-m2 (173,200-sf) high school wanted to include extensive glazing throughout the facility to provide natural light and visibility for students and staff. However, installing wired glass in the fire-rated areas would have altered the ambience, detracting from views and interrupting the seamless appearance of the building as a whole.
As an alternative, designers specified 325 m2 (3500 sf) of high-performance, fire-rated glass ceramic in doors, sidelites, transoms, and interior windows throughout the entire school. Clear and wireless, the appearance is virtually indistinguishable from the non-rated glass installed in the building.
The project incorporates two types of fire-rated glass ceramic that provide essential fire protection while also helping to create a welcoming school environment. The multifunctional glass ceramic is also impact safety rated. It meets the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z97.1-15, For Safety Glazing Materials Used In Buildings – Safety Performance Specifications And Methods Of Test, and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 16 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1201, Safety Standard for Architectural Glazing Materials (Categories I and II), to help prevent injuries from glass breakage if students run into it—important in a busy school serving more than 1100 teenagers.
Glass walls, open possibilities
Fire-resistive glass walls are also changing the landscape of design. In St. John’s, N.L., KMK Place is a four-storey, 7432-m2 (80,000-sf) office building designed to stand out. The open floor plan was created in order to provide maximum daylighting and a smooth flow through the building.
Architects created a glazed atrium that provides a focal point both inside and outside the building. It also allows light to reach deep into interior spaces on multiple floors.
The challenge for the design was meeting the National Building Code of Canada (NBC) and local regulations that required the glass in the atrium to carry a two-hour fire rating. This meant it needed to be a fire-resistive glazing system that could function as a wall and serve as a barrier to heat. The design team chose a combination of transparent wall panels and aluminum-clad, fire-rated framing that gave them both the form and function they were hoping to achieve.
“It is not too often that you will see an atrium of this calibre in office buildings,” commented project architect, Sandy Gibbons. “We needed a specialty product that met certain needs like replacing solid walls and creating an open space, while not forcing us to compromise on esthetics.”
Complementary systems in action
The solution-creating abilities of all these new fire-rated options begins to become clear as designers find ways to utilize multiple options at once to give them the result they have in mind.
This is what the Brayton Hughes Design Studios discovered when they planned the renovation of the La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard in Windsor, Calif. At the heart of the winery is a historic barn dating back to 1900 that now houses multiple tasting rooms.
To bring the barn up to current building code requirements, the designers needed to construct a fire barrier around the tasting room’s historic staircase. It had to be capable of defending against the spread of flames, smoke, and heat transfer without creating an unsightly intrusion. It was essential this new safety feature could maintain the rich allure of wood, complementing the extensive wood framing and hardwood flooring used throughout the surrounding space.
