Hot Topics - What's New in Specialty Glass & Framing

Hot Topics - What's New in Fire-Rated Glass & Framing

This Issue

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tgpamerica.com & fireglass.com en Español... Coming Soon!

TGP plans to launch Spanish versions of our web sites, tgpamerica.com and fireglass.com this year, to expand our reach to Spanish speaking customers. The newest site, tgpamerica.com, is planned to launch in Spanish this spring, with the Spanish version of the fireglass.com web site following later this summer.

In addition, Spanish and French speaking customers can contact Ms. Tysen Gannon, a TGP Product Manager who is fluent in both languages, and is able to assist with inquiries about any TGP products.

¡Sepamos cómo que nosotros le podemos ayudar! (translation: Let us know how we can help you!)

TGP Joins USGBC

Technical Glass Products recently joined the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is leading a national consensus for producing a new generation of buildings that deliver high performance inside and out.

With the expansion of product offerings to include Pilkington Profilit™, a glass channel product allowing architects to use natural daylighting in their designs, TGP is working to promote high performing, sustainable building practices. Profiit can be filled with Nanogel®, an insulating aerogel product from Cabot Corporation, which promotes light pollution reduction, optimized energy performance, recycled content, daylight and views and innovative design, among other sustainable building characteristics.

For more information on the U.S. Green Building Council, visit http://www.usgbc.org.

For more information on Pilkington Profilit™, visit www.tgpamerica.com.

Fire-Rated Glass Ceramics for Safety and Design

Not all fire-rated glass is created equal... although they may look similar. The number of product options available can make it challenging to select the appropriate product. Yet getting it right is critical, particularly with life safety issues on the line.

Technical Glass Products offers a full line of fire-rated solutions, to meet the specific life safety requirements of a given project, without compromising design. Glass ceramics provide the best of both worlds in safety and aesthetics. Products such as FireLite®, FireLite NT, FireLite Plus and FireLite IGU have the fire-rated glazing needed to withstand fire from 20 minutes to three hours. And when installed, FireLite looks similar to plain window glass.

Plus, many options open up for design. Depending on the product chosen, the glass can be used in large sizes, etched, sandblasted lightly or beveled on one side without affecting the fire rating. Obscure glass can be chosen if more privacy is desired for certain parts of the building.

Ceramic withstands the high temperatures of a fire and is unfazed by the thermal shock of water from a fire hose. It is an ideal material for fire-rated applications. When required, ceramics can be specified that also satisfy the need to provide protection from impact.

Glass ceramic is also available in insulated glass units (IGU). The IGUs are made of two layers of glass with an air space in between. Depending on which products are chosen, they not only can be used in fire-rated applications with ratings from 20 minutes to three hours, but meet energy codes as well. An IGU is typically one-inch thick and fits in standard hollow metal frames. Insulated glass is designed for use in exterior applications where energy codes require an insulated product, or for interior applications with special needs such as sound reduction.

Again, flexibility with design is maintained, because while one side of the IGU is FireLite or FireLite Plus, the other can be what the design plans call for, such as mirrored, Low-E, tinted or safety glass.

Another category of fire-rated glass that's expanding design options is glass fire walls. These products, such as Pilkington Pyrostop™, make it possible to have entire walls of glass which increase security, due to their see-through characteristics. Glass fire walls block the transfer of heat, similar to a fire-rated masonry wall. Because of this heat blocking ability, Pyrostop is not restricted to a limited area. If desired, Pyrostop can be installed from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with doors if desired, with fire ratings of up to 2 hours. Designers then can divide space without the use of solid walls that diminish visibility and light.

The new developments in this field continue to raise the standard for both design and safety. When properly specified and installed, fire-rated glazing can be a powerful ally against the devastating effects of fire.

For more information on fire-rated glass ceramics and any of our products, visit our website at fireglass.com.

Fire-Rated Glass Checklist

Before choosing which fire-rated glass to use, keep in mind these questions:

What is the required fire rating (in minutes)?
Is there an impact safety requirement (doors, sidelites, etc.)?
Will sprinklers be located near the glass? (Is "thermal shock" a potential problem?)
Is heat transfer through the glass an issue? (Does the glass need to act like a "wall"?)
Has the product been tested and listed by an independent laboratory? (Such as UL?)
Are you confident the fire-rated product selected will perform properly in a real fire situation?
Will privacy concerns make an obscured glass surface desirable?
Would you want to etch, sandblast or bevel a design on the glass surface?

Photography Request

If you have a recent project that incorporated our products (such as Pilkington Pyrostop™, Fireframes® or the FireLite® family of products), we want to see it. Simply email snapshots and a brief description to photos@fireglass.com. Your work could be featured in a national case study.

Sprinklers: Maintenance & Failure

Keeping fire sprinkler systems performing in top condition is a critical responsibility for building owners. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has set the standard for sprinkler upkeep. While many of the tasks that must be performed to maintain systems are not difficult, tracking required upkeep can be daunting.

The NFPA reports that across all property types (including storage, public assembly, store or office, educational, manufacturing, health care or correctional and residential) sprinklers failed to operate in 7% of fires considered large enough to activate the systems. However, according to NFPA data, the primary reason sprinkler systems failed to operate was because the systems had been shut off.

Human intervention is not the only concern when relying on sprinkler systems alone in event of a fire. It is critical, when using sprinklers to protect glass, that the water spray bathe the glass early, fully and continuously. If not, hot spots can occur and the glass may vacate the opening. Drapes, blinds or shutters can prevent water from a sprinkler from fully bathing the glass. Horizontal mullions or members in a window and frame will cause water to cascade over the mullion, creating a dry and hot spot beneath the mullion where the water doesn't make contact with the glass. Sprinklers must be correctly installed on both sides of the glass and frame to properly protect it, and standard sprinklers may not be adequate to protect the glass. Instead, special sprinklers that create a water curtain, on both sides of the glass, may be required.

Sprinklers have certainly improved the standard of fire safety. However, as the NFPA acknowledges, sprinklers alone are not adequate and must be part of a more comprehensive fire protection program. There are several glass products on the market today that offer outstanding fire-ratings and the ability to withstand thermal shock. From a life-safety standpoint, combining the active protection of sprinklers with the passive protection of fire-rated glazing systems offers the better solution.

For more on the relationship between sprinklers and glass, visit http://www.fireglass.com/hot_topics_library/sprinklers.asp

Technical Glass Products
600 6th Street South
Kirkland, WA 98033
1-800-426-0279
Fax: 1-800-451-9857
Email: sales@fireglass.com

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