Fire resistant glazing’s application potential grows

The latest generation of fire resistant glazing is expanding the potential to increase daylighting within the communal areas of social housing, as well as other forms of shared accommodation, without compromising the safety of residents.

This light transmission and fire safety balance can be achieved using the range of certified fire resistant glazing and door systems from Promat. In the past 12 months, the company has seen a noticeable increase in the number of enquiries it has received relating to residential projects, which reflects a growing awareness of the benefits of designing spaces with maximum natural light in mind, coupled with the need to meet strict fire safety obligations following the implementation of the Building Safety Act.

Cath McLean, Sales Manager for Glass at Promat UK said: “Architects and building specifiers will be familiar with the more typical areas requiring fire resistant door and window solutions in residential properties, such as doors into attached garages and basements, and these still account for many of the enquiries we receive. But more clients are looking at how large glass screens can be used instead of a solid wall in locations around entrances, lobbies and lifts, beyond the usual door vision panels.”

Left: Stairwells can be protected by specifying Promat fire doors whilst maintaining light-flow and visibility through large fire resistant glass side screens.
Right: Timber fire doors and SYSTEMGLAS® glazing from Promat are backed with its 360 degree ‘wheel of assurance’ which
demonstrates compliance throughout the manufacturing  and installation process. Images © Promat

Fire resistant internal windows and doors can be provided without compromising aesthetics to ensure communal areas a visually attractive as well as light-filled. Decades of fire glass innovation means that fire protection can be incorporated in today’s systems is barely noticeable when compared to standard, non-fire rated interior products.

The key drivers for fire resistant solutions, Promat believes, are two-fold. Firstly, a growing appetite amongst developers to incorporate glass features throughout buildings to maximise light transmission and make spaces feel bright and airy, such as by installing glass screens and even walk-on glass floors. And secondly, a much higher awareness of the need to consider fire risks in domestic settings.

In addition to new build developments, the Promat team works closely with clients to ensure they can overcome new challenges that arise during renovation work, particularly to achieve the required compartmentation and protected escape corridors – these provide time for occupants to evacuate a property and for the fire service to extinguish a fire. The ability to do this safely whilst enhancing the look of a property is seen as a big challenge by many people, but the Promat range provides the solutions needed to design fire safety-critical applications in residential environments with confidence.

Promat SYSTEMGLAS fire resistant glazing with integrated fire doors provides a dependable solution for the
c
ommunal areas of many different types of residential buildings. Image © Promat

Cath continued: “One of the main attractions of creating a bright, airy environment is their power to enhance comfort and wellbeing for occupants. So being able to combine the ability to ‘borrow light’ and meet fire safety requirements in residential projects using the advanced fire resistant products we offer is a huge advantage.”

In addition to glass products suitable for traditional fire door vision panels, and for glazing in boundary windows to prevent the spread of fire between buildings, Promat also provides specialist, fully tested and third party accredited systems. These include SYSTEMGLAS® glass screens, complete with steel, timber, over-clad, painted or concealed framing, and doors which can be beautifully crafted to protect fire escape corridors. Fire-rated fully glazed steel doors including the PYROSEC® Door can also be specified to achieve an ultra-contemporary look.

Promat also offers fire resistant walk-on glazed floor panels with SYSTEMGLAS® Stratum, which not only provides attractive architectural feature but also enables light to be shared between floors. This system may also be suitable for creating rooflights, subject to the building design.

In all cases, Promat’s fire resistant glazing has the same appearance as standard glass yet it plays a vital passive fire protection role, helping to prevent or control the spread of fire within the property.

To find out more about how Promat’s fire resistant glazing and doors can be integrated into residential properties, call 0800 588 4444 or visit www.promat.com/en-gb/industry/technologies/fire-rated-glass.