SECURITY A Burning Issue
Steve Bond, Technical and Customer Support Managerat Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, explores how developments
in fire-resistant glazing are not only keeping care home residents and staff safe but enabling architects to create comfortable well-lit spaces.
As with any building, ensuring residents are protected in the event of a fire is a vital consideration for care home operators.
However, in an effort to minimise the risk of a fire spreading through a building, architects may be tempted to use less glass, which consequently prevents natural light to flow through rooms.
This was the issue facing NorseCare, Norfolk’s largest residential care home provider, when it invested £6.9million in a specialist dementia facility for the county.
NorseCare wanted to ensure that both staff and those living at Lydia Eva Court would have as long as possible to safely vacate the premises should a fire break out, without compromising on creating a bright and airy interior.
NorseCare found a solution in Pilkington Pyrostop® fire-resistant windows, internal doors and glass partitions. This solution is a fire- resistant glass which remains intact for up to 180 minutes, for this application a minimum of 60 minutes was required, extending the crucial time needed for both staff and residents to exit during an emergency.
Fire-Resistant Glazing Fire-resistance has been a key focus for innovators in the glass industry for decades and has led to the development of products that provide robust protection against flames, smoke and heat.
Historically, wired glass was - 32 -
predominantly used as fire-resistant glazing due to its ability to meet fire safety requirements while being relatively low cost. Although the glass still represents good value, it can limit the scope for clear lines of sight and bright, well-lit spaces.
Nowadays, fire-resistant glass is available with high level of transparency. This means a floor-to- ceiling glass screen can effectively serve the same purpose as a brick wall, something that has had a significant impact on aesthetics and building design.
Regulations Building regulations give guidance on the levels of fire resistance needed in certain applications, such as ensuring different areas of a building are separated by barriers to prevent the spread of a fire.
Care home facilities, in particular, are required to have a fire safety strategy in place. This strategy will consider factors such as ensuring there is a clear exit route that enables people to vacate the building without exposure to harmful gases and flames. Evacuation times also need consideration and these need to be matched with the correct specification of integrity and insulation fire-resistant glasses.
Glass is the ideal material in helping builders and architects comply with these regulations, without compromising on the building’s aesthetic appeal.
In The Event Of... If installed as curtain walling, internal doors or fire screens, it is
possible for fire-resistant glass to provide complete protection against heat transfer for up to three hours, depending on the specification of the fire-resistant product. Pilkington Pyrodur® and Pilkington Pyrostop® fire-resistant glazing works by sandwiching a layer of intumescent material (a substance that swells as a result of heat exposure) between two or more panes of glass. When it is heated, the intumescent material turns opaque and expands to form a barrier to hot gases and flames, and effective insulation from the heat of a blaze.
Turning opaque also blocks the view of the fire, which minimises panic amongst residents while acting as a guide for emergency services to indicate the presence of the fire.
It is designed to prevent break-out and movement of fire along, or up, the outside face of the building or across re-entrant corners. It also helps prevent fire transfer from one building to another, limiting risk to life and building damage while helping extend the time for residents to vacate safely.
Even floor-to-ceiling glass screens can provide this kind of protection so there is no longer any need to visually screen off areas to protect them in case of fire.
Unsurprisingly, these advances have led to a growing market demand for fire-resistant glass and glazing products, especially with care home providers such as NorseCare.
www.pilkington.com
www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54