Fire protection is essential. In the case of a fire, various precautions can be taken to safeguard both property and people.
Various fire products have changed over time due to modifications made to building materials and architectural designs. Glass is now more often used than any other material in the construction of commercial structures.
As a result, using fire-rated glass partitions in the offices is a must now. Fire-rated glass partitions are considered to be fire barriers. According to their fire-resistance rating, they stop smoke and fire from spreading from one area to the other.
Fire Resistance Rating
The material utilized as trim or encasing around the fire-rated Glass is also very crucial for the fire-rated glass partitions to be able to be at their top performance. The following examples show why fire-rated glass partitions are used:
- For security, communication, convenience, control, vigilance, and supervision, having clear visibility over the partition regions.
- It can be essential for light to get through the various locations in the office.
- The aesthetics and ambiance of the location may necessitate the use of glass parts due to accompanying installations or practical requirements.
- Construction simplicity, significant energy savings, and cost-effectiveness might occasionally be justifications for choosing glazed portions at specific partition locations.
Fire-rated glass partitions and doors are thus one of the most crucial passive fire prevention items in offices.
Clear tempered Glass is a good choice for office glass partitions, but fire-rated glass partitions and doors have a significant benefit in the event of an emergency; they may be securely smashed in order to allow for access.
When choosing whether to utilize fire-rated glass partitions and doors, the following few crucial considerations should be kept in mind:
The significance of fire-rated glass partitions:
If you have a tight budget, Glass should only be used selectively in fire-rated glass partitions or doors in fire compartmentation. However, architects and interior designers continue to use it as one of the most common building materials. Fire-rated glass partitions are the perfect contemporary and visually acceptable.
One thing to be aware of is how significantly different fire-rated Glass is in the fire-rated glass office partitions from regular Glass. Therefore, never use any other glass to replace it as it compromises fire safety.
It is very important to understand that fire-rated glass partitions are created, produced, and type-tested for fire, and other crucial safety standards, are certified and listed (UL, CERTIFIED, FM, etc.) for certain functional applications to protect against fire.
It is unquestionably never safe to install regular Glass as fire-rated glass partitions and doors.
Potentially suitable locations to install fire-rated glass partitions
The most common places you might see fire-rated glass partitions are:
Common architectural conventions, cafeterias, progressive segregation of security areas at public places like airports, malls, commercial offices, hospitals, educational institutes, and even process industries like pharmaceuticals, office partitions, food processing, fine chemicals, biotech parks, and agricultural processing plant areas.
Some of the crucial locations where fire-rated glass partitions might be placed are security and emergency exits. When installed at these locations, they will make it simple to evacuate during emergencies and times of panic. If required, firefighters can easily get access to regions across the glass dividers during a fire.
Of course, before installing any sort of partitions, all safety regulations must be taken into account.
Checking the listing, certification, application, and labeling of Glass used in the fire-rated glass partitions and doors with a fire rating:
When it comes to safety, cutting the corners of the project is not acceptable. In this regard, choosing the appropriate types of Glass tested, certified, listed, and labeled is essential to ensure the Glass’s quality and performance.
Every document and the sources used for procurement should be able to be responsibly tracked back to their original origins. According to the accepted time-temperature curve, fire-rated glass partitions should withstand a maximum temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius.
It’s Vital to Use the Correct Fire Resisting rate for the Fire Rated Glass Partitions:
Unfortunately, we cannot obtain fire-rated Glass under a single set of standards. The fire-related Glass used in fire-rated glass partitions is given several grades based on its performance levels.
It should be noted that Glass with a fire rating performance of between 20 minutes and 120 minutes will often be accepted as fire-rated Glass and can be used in fire-rated glass partitions.
The supporting structures used in the fire-rated glass office partitions and doors are equally crucial to hold the fire-rated Glass in place. The framework must undergo type testing for the specified fire rating as an assembly with the suggested Glass before being implemented.
Fire-rated glass partitions and doors should be installed correctly:
For safety’s sake, it’s crucial to use the services of certified and experienced installers for fire-rated glass partitions and doors. Beadings, glass coverings, intumescent seals, and gasket application are essential and technical processes.
The use of Glass for fire-rated compartmentations in the form of doors and office partitions is essential to modern office designs. Some companies use frosted or clear tempered Glass; the maximum temperature these types of Glass can withstand is around 300°C. In comparison, fire-rated Glass often has a heat tolerance of more than 800°C and up to 1000°C.
The performance difference is noticeable. Since structure fires may quickly reach extremely high temperatures, the demand for this special Glass is understandable. But the types of Glass and its framework assembly must be carefully chosen considering the intended performance and effects.
