EXPERT INSIGHTS
Featured Insight
The Art and Science of Designing Safer Schools
The Art and Science of Designing Safer Schools
Date: 6/8/2023
The building industry is at a critical point. As more school districts incorporate voluntary security measures, everyone involved in school planning has pushed to innovate architectural systems and de...
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Featured Insight
Codes, Standards and Guidelines: Navigating Safer School Design Resources
Codes, Standards and Guidelines: Navigating Safer School Design Resources
Date: 10/21/2025
Designing safer schools involves planning for multiple contingencies. While fire safety has been a part of local building codes since Boston officials first prohibited wooden chimneys and thatched roo...
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Featured Insight
Forced-entry Resistance: What it Means and How it Supports Building Security
Forced-entry Resistance: What it Means and How it Supports Building Security
Date: 10/15/2025
Designing for school safety almost always involves buying time. For example, fire- and life-safety code requirements mandate the use of fire-rated materials and systems in an effort to provide occupan...
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Featured Insight
Best Practices Recommendations and Code-Compliant Health Care
Best Practices Recommendations and Code-Compliant Health Care
Date: 9/4/2025
Health care design can be complex. Retrofit projects and new builds alike must meet a wide range of code requirements, which are often more stringent than other occupancies. On the one hand, this is b...
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Featured Insight
Part of a System: How Fire-Resistant Glazing Plays a Part in Life-Safety Design
Part of a System: How Fire-Resistant Glazing Plays a Part in Life-Safety Design
Date: 5/24/2024
Life-safety design pertains to a building’s ability to protect its occupants from fire and other life-threatening emergencies. Many materials can contribute to life-safety designs, but some may limit ...
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Glass is in Session: Specifying Fire-Rated Glazing for Educational Settings
Glass is in Session: Specifying Fire-Rated Glazing for Educational Settings
Date: 9/14/2023
Due to the well-studied evidence that access to daylight supports academic success, glass has become a mainstay in school design. It can help bring light into a school’s interior and support the colla...
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Featured Insight
In Profile: How Narrow, Fire-Rated Frames Support School Building Design
In Profile: How Narrow, Fire-Rated Frames Support School Building Design
Date: 4/5/2023
The majority of a child’s time is spent at school, second only to sleep, according to a recent report from the Federal Reserve. Creating a learning environment that meets fire- and life-safety code re...
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Featured Insight
Commentary: System Solutions–Meeting the Need for School Safety and Security
Commentary: System Solutions–Meeting the Need for School Safety and Security
Date: 9/13/2021
As incidents over the last decade have shown, safety and security are more than just buzzwords in schools and universities. Many educational environments are increasing safety protocols and adopting v...
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