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From industry-leading FireLite® fire-rated ceramic glass to Pilkington Profilit™ channel glass, TGP's products are recognized by architects and designers for their innovation and ability to solve design challenges. We are proud that one of our newest product lines - SteelBuilt Curtainwall™ Systems - has also received industry kudos. Readers of USGlass magazine selected SteelBuilt Curtainwall Systems as a "Top Product Pick" for 2007. Read more about the recognition in this edition of Hot Topics, along with how our other fire-rated and architectural glazing solutions can meet your specific project needs. |
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TGP Opens Office in Toronto to Better Serve Canadian Customers
To provide additional focus on the Canadian market, TGP has opened a dedicated office in Toronto and hired Ron Pitts as our Canadian Sales Manager. Ron has extensive experience selling glazing in Canada, including TGP-supplied products for more than a decade. Ron will manage all of TGP's sales and customer service activities in Canada and is available to answer architect's questions on a wide range of fire-rated and specialty architectural glazing products. Contact him at ronp@fireglass.com.
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Pilkington Pyrostop™ Now Available with Integrated BlindsPilkington Pyrostop™ fire-rated glass is now available with integrated Venetian blinds to enhance privacy and reduce glare. In instances where users want to control the amount of light entering a space or visibility into the space, Pilkington Pyrostop products with 45- and 60-minute fire ratings can be combined with manually operable Venetian blinds included in an insulated glass unit. Usable in interior spaces, Pilkington Pyrostop with integrated blinds is well suited for glazed office fronts within buildings, conference room windows, private offices, lobbies and other similar uses. The blinds are encased between multiple layers of glass, so they never need to be cleaned. In addition, the blinds are available in a wide range of colors and are fabricated in the U.S., allowing for short delivery lead times. To learn more, contact sales@fireglass.com.
Case Study: Fire-rated Curtain Wall Enhances IMAX® Theater Adjacent To Home of the Spruce GooseTo comply with a mid-construction staircase design change to the IMAX® theater building on the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum campus, Scott/Edwards Architecture LLP used Pilkington Pyrostop™ fire-rated glass, Fireframes® Curtainwall Series fire-rated frames, and 90-minute Fireframes® Heat Barrier Series doors to meet various design and code requirements. Using the combination of fire-rated products allowed the architects to efficiently redesign one of the existing open staircases to provide a fire-safe exit that looks identical to a second, non-fire-rated glass staircase enclosure, which integrated well with the overall design. Read more about the project in the February, 2008, edition of Glass Magazine, "Modern Glazing Provides Safety, Beauty."
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Fire-Glass Testing Requirements Help Ensure Life and Property SafetyToday's fire-rated glazing products play a critical role in blocking the spread of flames and smoke, helping minimize building damage and providing time for occupants to exit the building and for fire fighters to arrive and extinguish the fire. As with other building materials that provide for life and property safety, fire-rated glass is subjected to a number of testing requirements. Using products that do not pass mandatory tests can put people's lives at risk and create liability for architects and specifiers. When selecting fire-rated glazing, it is important to remember two sometimes overlooked testing requirements that are reflected in building codes: 1) ability to pass a hose stream test, and 2) offer multi-directional fire protection. Hose stream test: For fire ratings of 45 minutes or longer in the United States (and for all fire ratings in Canada), glazing must pass a required hose stream test, as well as a fire test. After being heated in a furnace following a standard time-temperature curve per National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) test standards, glass is immediately sprayed with water from a fire hose using a standard hose size and pressure. To successfully pass the test, the glass and framing must remain intact. This is a critical portion of testing requirements, because as NFPA 257 states, "The cooling, impact, and erosion effects of the hose stream provide important tests of the integrity of the specimen being evaluated."
Multi-directional fire protection: Some glazing materials rely on a coating on one side of the glass to reflect heat away during a fire. Such directional materials only provide protection from one side, requiring the architect or contractor to decide from which direction a fire might start - a nearly impossible task. Unless you are 100% certain you can predict where a fire will originate, you risk offering no protection where it will be needed. IBC section 715.5.2 requires that nonsymmetrical glazing be tested with both faces exposed to the furnace, and the assigned fire protection rating shall be the shortest duration obtained. Products that require that a specific identified side be installed facing the direction of the expected fire attack do not meet this requirement. Check product listings and labels carefully to ensure that products you specify meet these, and other testing requirements. Any footnotes or exceptions stating that a material does not meet all tests, or that require special approvals, should be eyed with caution. If you have questions on the type of fire-rated glazing required for your specific application, contact us at sales@fireglass.com, 800-426-0279. New California Building Code Affects Fire-Rated GlazingAs of January 1, 2008, the State of California adopted a new building code that is modeled after the 2006 International Building Code (IBC). The new California Building Code eliminates the use of traditional polished wired glass in hazardous locations where it is susceptible to impact and breakage, such as doors, sidelites and windows near the floor. Now, fire-rated glass in these locations must also be impact safety rated to meet CPSC 16CFR1201. Fortunately, there are now many alternatives to traditional wired glass that offer superior fire and impact protection, as well as the aesthetic advantages of being clear and wireless. The FireLite® family of clear ceramic glass products - the industry-leading standard for fire-rated glass for more than a decade - is available through local distributors in your area. Contact your TGP representative or visit www.fireglass.com/distributors to find your local distributor.
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After the Stone Age: Neopariés® Crystallized Glass Ceramic Panels Meet A Wide Range of Interior and Exterior Design NeedsTo complete projects of any magnitude, architects and designers are often looking for materials that are durable, visually pleasing and offer design flexibility. Many materials can fulfill one or two of these needs, but rarely all three. Considering that architects and designers want to increase their design material options, TGP offers Neopariés® and Neopariés® LT crystallized glass ceramic architectural panels. Commonly used for cladding interior and exterior walls, and for counters and tabletops, Neopariés and Neopariés LT can be installed on buildings or other structures made of reinforced concrete, structural steel or a combination of both. The materials can be formed into curved panels for columns and flowing wall designs, as well as straight panels. Both products are non-porous and not subject to penetration by many staining substances. They are more resistant to acids, alkalis, oils and other chemical substances than either marble or granite. The unique, wipe clean composition of Neopariés and Neopariés LT ensures that the surface and physical properties of the materials do not degrade, even after years of use. With an extremely low coefficient of expansion, Neopariés and Neopariés LT are not subject to the thermal cracking that can occur with other cladding materials. They are also not subject to the fissure and fracture patterns common in quarried stone. With greater flexural strength, they also can be fabricated into thinner panels than natural stone (Neopariés is 5/8" thick and Neopariés LT is 5/16" thick). Neopariés carries a soft color and marble-like texture while Neopariés LT possesses a uniform surface appearance similar to porcelain tile. Both products are available in a variety of colors, including white, and provide a consistent, continuous color without the veining or streaking common in other alternatives. The materials provide a highly polished, modern appearance that reflects light brilliantly, making them a good choice for use in daylighting designs. Access more information about TGP's surfacing products online.
Request for Photography
If you have a recent project that incorporated our products (such as Pilkington Pyrostop™, Fireframes®, FireLite® family of products, Pilkington Profilit™ or Neoparies®), we would like to see it. Simply e-mail snapshots and a brief description to photos@fireglass.com. Your work could be featured in a case study in Hot Topics or in a national publication. |
Sunset Magazine Idea House Incorporates Pilkington Profilit™ Channel GlassFor many environmental and aesthetic reasons, the use of natural light is increasingly being considered an important design factor in architecture - for both commercial buildings and homes. To heighten awareness of the benefits of using daylighting in residential designs, TGP is participating in Sunset magazine's newest "Idea House" located in San Francisco's Mission District. The Mission District Idea House will be one of the first LEED-H certified residential remodeled homes in the United States. The design for the home incorporates daylighting with the use of Pilkington Profilit™ channel glass with Nanogel® insulating aerogel, a Cabot Corporation product. Pilkington Profilit is used in many areas of the home including the stairway, master bathroom and the exterior. A project overview that showcased Pilkington Profilit as a sustainable choice for residential homes ran in the November, 2007, issue of Sunset. A full feature on the project, including the use of Profilit, is scheduled to publish in the March, 2008, issue.
USGlass Readers Select SteelBuilt Curtainwall™ Systems as a 2007 Top Product PickRecognizing the superior performance of steel for curtainwall systems and the ability to expand glazing designs, readers of USGlass magazine selected SteelBuilt Curtainwall™ Systems as a "Top Product Pick" for 2007 (December 2007 edition). SteelBuilt Curtainwall Systems were one of only a handful of products honored and the only one in the "glazing systems" category. SteelBuilt Curtainwall Systems are strong and slim, allowing larger spans of glazing than traditional aluminum framing. The result is greater expanses of exposed glass and increased ability to bring natural light indoors. The high strength of the steel framing means that a narrower frame profile can be used than with aluminum framing, while at the same time allowing larger sizes of glass. The steel framing members have substantially lower deflection than aluminum, providing three times the wind load capacity. In addition, the lower thermal expansion of steel allows greater design flexibility with fewer or no extension profiles. Visit us online to learn more about SteelBuilt Curtainwall Systems.
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