Stephen Malkin of Promat UK explains why a complete system approach to fire resistant glazing design and specification is key, post-Building Safety Act.

Building products of all kinds are understandably being subjected to much greater scrutiny since the publication of the Building Safety Act 2022, and all the resulting legislative, procedural and compliance changes.

In terms of best practice for the design, specification and installation of fire resistant glazing projects within the construction sector’s new safety-focused era, this is largely no different to what many leading passive fire protection product manufacturers and industry associations, including the GGF, have always advocated.

A key part of this is a ‘system approach’ wherever possible for glazing elements or doors that must offer a minimum level of resistance to fire as part of the strategy to protect building users and assets. Individual product performance declarations are crucial, of course, but this is just one consideration and they cannot be relied upon in isolation.

For internal features such as glass screens, partitions with doors, glass door-sets and walk-on glass floors to be able to demonstrate a level of fire resistance, they have to be assessed or tested as a complete assembly. That means the glass, frame, beads, seals, fasteners and every other material or component used to create the finished unit have to be combined and assessed by appropriate technical specialists to determine if the performance will be achievable.

And we know that architects value system testing too. This was evident from ADF’s ‘The Changing Face of Product Certification’ white paper, published in September last year, in which 88% of respondents said they believed “testing and certification of product systems should be made a requirement.”

A key benefit of choosing a fire resistant glazing system which has been tested and certified by an accredited third party body is that it ensures reliable performance and reduces risks of product substitution or poor installation, given the parameters set by the test certification. The end result is that it provides additional peace of mind for building owners and occupants.

The best way to ensure all the project goals can be achieved, however, is always to engage with the system manufacturer at the earliest opportunity to fine tune the design, avoid delays and maximise potential within the budget available.

Integrity & insulation (EI) or integrity-only (E)?

One of the most important considerations to start with is what type of system to use. Fire resistant glazing which incorporates thermal insulation, and hence provides protection from the heat generated by fire, is known as integrity and insulation or EI. This is one of three classifications used, with the others being E, integrity-only, and EW, integrity with radiation protection, which is not widely used in the UK.

It is crucial to specify the appropriate level of protection for the application given how destructive and dangerous high levels of heat can be. Glazing which offers integrity-only protection (E) may be perfectly adequate for applications where the risk from heat has been properly assessed, but in many cases integrity and insulation (EI) glazing offers the most effective solution.

EI protection can be provided by fire resistant glazing systems for a minimum of 30 minutes across several different types of frame material. These ratings increase in 30-minute increments, enabling EI30 and EI60 specifications to be achieved routinely, as well as EI90 and EI120 in certain frame types, sizes and configurations.

Unlocking the potential for fire glass to be multi-functional

Fire resistance is rarely the only design objective when creating internal glazing elements. Unfortunately, that can add complexity to the design and specification unless the proposed system has the flexibility to enable other performance, light transmission or aesthetic goals to be achieved.

The latter is extremely important in the majority of projects, particularly commercial buildings such as offices, hotels, bars, restaurants and retail stores, but also for high-end residential. Choosing a fire resistant glazing, window or door system, therefore, that can provide assured passive fire protection ‘almost unnoticed’ ticks all the boxes where visual appeal is a priority.

With the advanced systems available today, that can mean design characteristics such as butt-jointing of the glass panes, slim framing to replicate Crittall-style windows or ‘through the glass’ door handles can be accommodated without compromising the target fire performance.

In addition, depending on the system, enhanced acoustic performance will often be achievable with increased thickness of the glass or in one of the panes where a double glazed unit is used.

Stephen Malkin is sales manager for glass at Promat UK