Creating Safer Spaces: A Deep Dive into Bullet-Resistant Glass
Do you have questions about bullet-resistant glass? A recent article by David Vermeulen, North America Sales Director, TGP addresses some of the considerations for these applications.
Questions About Fire-Rated Glass?
Questions continue to arise regarding fire-rated glass and framing, and TGP has recently updated a page on their site that answers a couple dozen of the FAQs.
Creating Clarity: Are there disadvantages to fire-rated glass?
A recent article from David Vermeulen, North America Sales Director for Technical Glass Products (TGP) does some myth busting about fire-rated glass...check it out in today's post!
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
When a controlled egress lock is installed in a health care unit where patients require containment for their safety or security, which release methods for egress are required by the model codes?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I addressed electromagnetic locks released by a switch in the door-mounted hardware. Do you know the difference between the requirements for this application vs. sensor-release locks?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I addressed the requirements for electromagnetic locks released by a sensor. Are you aware of the change to the 2024 I-Codes affecting this application?
Code Requirements for Fire-Rated Glass and Glazing
If you are looking for information about fire-rated glass and framing, the answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found on the TGP website! From code requirements to testing to common misconceptions, you can learn more here...
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I addressed the requirements for locks that delay egress for 15 seconds, which have become common in retail facilities. Do you know what is required for code-compliant delayed egress hardware?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I answered a question about a common application for aluminum storefront doors: Are paddle latches (AKA push paddles) a code-compliant option for the main entrance of a business occupancy?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
In my current column in USGlass Magazine, I addressed the topic of security vestibules in schools. Consider this question: What should be avoided when designing, specifying hardware or updating features in secured entry vestibules?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
My current monthly column in USGlass Magazine answers this question: On pairs of doors, are inactive leaves that are not required for egress allowed to have manual flush bolts? Do you know the answer?
TGP: Labels for Fire-Rated Glass
A few weeks ago I shared a handy tool from TGP - the online product SpeciFIRE. Today I'm posting another resource on glazing, which addresses the labels that are required for glass in fire door and fire window assemblies.
TGP SpeciFIRE
TGP has released a new and improved online version of the product SpeciFIRE, where you can make a series of choices and find the TGP glazing options that will meet the needs of the project. Check it out!
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
My current monthly column in USGlass Magazine answers this question: Are deadbolts compliant with the code requirements for egress, fire protection and accessibility? Do you know the answer?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
My next monthly column in USGlass Magazine answers this question: How can an exterior space—like a courtyard or roof terrace—be secured to prevent unauthorized access to the building? Do you know the answer?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
My second monthly column in USGlass Magazine answers this question about double-cylinder deadbolts: Where can key-operated locks be used on doors in a means of egress? Do you know the answer?
USGNN: Quick Code Q+A
I recently started a new column in USGlass Magazine, and each month I will be answering a code question related to door openings. The question in the current post is one that many of you are familiar with: Where is panic hardware required?
TGP: Street Talk
TGPs Street Talk series is an on-demand video channel where the team goes on location to see how architectural glazing products solved design challenges. Check out this video about a fire-rated stairwell that was added to a historic building in Seattle.
BSJ: How Building Codes Inform Architectural Design
A recent article in the International Code Council's Building Safety Journal addresses the critical role that the International Building Code (IBC), International Fire Code (IFC), and International Residential Code (IRC) play in how architects design buildings.
FF: Dogging Alternative
This Fixed-it Friday photo leaves me with some questions because it doesn't look like a location that would typically require a fire door, BUT - the wired glass (and the creative dogging method) kind of hints at a possible fire rating. What do you think? Any theories?
Last-Minute Training Opportunity – DOIT
Do you know the difference between a fire-resistance-rated assembly and a fire-protection-rated assembly? It could be very costly to price an assembly listed to UL 10C / NFPA 252 when it should have been listed to ASTM E119 / UL 263.
It’s All About Transparency: How Fire-Rated Doors and Frames Contribute to Sustainable Buildings
LEED, the Living Building Challenge, Declare Labels, the 2030 Challenge, Health and Happiness and Beauty Petals...this article on sustainability - written by Tim Weller of Allegion, explains sustainability design and how it applies to our industry.
WW: Wired
When I was a specwriter, I dreaded having to tell an architect that their idea wasn't code-compliant, was not durable enough to hold up over time, or would not function in a way that would work well for the end user...
Campus Safety: What to do about wired glass in schools?
It has been quite a while since I've written about traditional wired glass, but the hazard has not disappeared. With students back at school in person, the injuries related to this product will continue.
WWYD? Flush Bottom Rail
Last week, an AHJ asked me if I knew of a source for plates or other products that could be used to increase the height of the bottom rail of a door. WWYD?
FF: Room With A View
Hardware sets in a specification look like a different language to most people, so sometimes there are surprises when the doors and hardware are installed.
Webinars – Live and On-Demand – Part 1
More opportunities for online training - some offering continuing education credits. Check here for upcoming live webinars and access to on-demand recordings.
TGP University Training with AIA LU
Here's another training opportunity - this time from TGP University. Learn about fire-rated glazing and how the model codes affect the design options. April 14th!
FF: Profile-Cut Glass Door
Matthew Stonebraker of Allegion just sent me this Fixed-it Friday photo of a glass door at the Mexico City National Museum of Art, and it's so cool! Have you seen a modification like this before?
Form, Function & Fire Safety: A Clearer View of Fire-Rated Glass and Framing
This video does a great job of summarizing the code requirements that apply to glass and glazing used in fire door assemblies and egress doors. Thanks TGP!
WWYD? Impact-Resistant Glazing/Film
The glazing goes hand-in-hand with the door hardware - even the most secure hardware can be overcome by breaking the glass.
Allegion Acquires Advanced Fire-Rated Glass Products Manufacturer TGP
Are you familiar with Technical Glass Products (TGP)? They're now part of our Allegion family! Here's the latest news...
WWYD? Too-high vision lights – frosted glass?
Some new fire doors were ordered and manufactured with 5-inch x 20-inch vision lights located with the bottom of the light about about 46 inches from the bottom of the door...
Construction Specifier: Hazards of Traditional Wired Glass
(Note: If you're in the St. Louis area, there is a school security seminar coming up on July 22th, and there's still space if you want to attend.) Today's post: I haven't posted much about traditional wired glass lately, but the hazard continues to be present in existing schools and other facilities...
WW: Shattered security – Surviving Red Lake teacher calls for change
I've written several posts about glass used in schools, and many posts about traditional wired glass (refer to the Glass tab above). A reader recently shared the video below and although it was recorded several years ago it includes very valid information for schools to consider when addressing security. I can't embed the video, so click the graphic to visit the news site.
Security Screens for K-12 Entries
Windows and glass doors are among the most vulnerable access points in a school. Criminals can break glass to climb through or reach in and unlock the entry. The security industry has responded with two solutions to slow down a criminal looking to break into a school building...
School Guard Glass
School Guard Glass is a new product that can retrofit existing 1/4" glass at a cost of about $1,000-$1,200 per full glass door lite, and it kept the testing agent at bay for 6 minutes during independent testing. What do you think?
Breaks on Impact, by Rob Botman
It has been a while since I've posted about the hazards of traditional wired glass, but the problem has not gone away. Although the US codes have changed, there are millions of existing pieces of this glass in schools and other buildings. Canada has seen several lawsuits lately - 1 worth more than 5 million dollars, and what's particularly interesting is that some of the glass in question met the code requirements in place in Canada at the time of installation, but facilities may still be held liable for wired glass injuries because they should have been aware of the hazard and addressed it. I am posting the article below with permission from the author, Rob Botman. The article first appeared in Glass Canada, and a reprint can be downloaded by clicking here. There is additional information about the requirements for glazing on the Glass tab above.^
WW: All Points Electric
This week's Wordless Wednesday post is surveillance video of a break-in at All Points Electric in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. For educational purposes, what type of glass breaks like this?
Doors and Codes in the News
Open fire door killed 2 at Mont Blanc - The Free Press Journal
School Security in the News
If you search Google News for the words "school" and "security", the search engine will return millions of results. There are stories about many cities, states, and school districts working on plans and funding to increase the safety and security of their schools. There are reports about incidents at schools, and products that may help improve security. It's tough to wade through it all. The following articles address the topic with a slightly different focus.
Traditional Wired Glass Will Not Stop a Bullet
Most days, I feel like the information I send out into the cosmos helps to make the world a little bit safer. But every so often I want to cry from frustration, because misinformation can travel just as quickly and send unsuspecting readers down the wrong path.
WW: Low Narrow Lite
I received today's photo from Brenda Dove of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. I wonder if that glass is impact-resistant...
WW: Are the kids to blame?
Last Friday I posted an article about a school district settlement with a student, after a severe injury due to impact with traditional wired glass. The article mentioned that a "15-year-old high school student fell while climbing atop a stack of rolled up wrestling mats." What the article didn't say was that the mats had been rolled up between practices, and the student was helping to set up - the mats were stuck together and he climbed up to help free the mat and slipped, impacting the glass. His injury was horrific, and he's lucky to be alive.
School District Settles for $2 Million and Apologizes
I've gotten in the habit of looking at wired glass to see if it has a certification mark for impact-resistance. Almost none of the existing wired glass that I've seen has the mark, which means that unless it has field-applied film (I haven't spotted any film yet), it is extremely hazardous. When I see kids running down the school corridors or swarming the exit at the end of the school day, I worry about impact with the glass, and the resulting injuries. Our kids are supposed to be safe at school, but the majority of schools have traditional wired glass in place. And if administrators think they are protected from liability, a precedent is being set that indicates otherwise...
The Clock is Ticking
Last month I posted an article by Kenneth T. Lumb about the liability that schools carry with regard to non-impact-resistant wired glass. I received a comment from former Oregon State Senator Vicki Walker, who has been an instrumental and passionate force in removing traditional wired glass from Oregon schools. With her permission, I have posted her comment below (or click here to download a PDF version).
A Time Bomb in Our Schools, Kenneth T. Lumb
Published here with permission from Safe Glass Consulting (click here to download a PDF reprint).
Breaking Tradition
This post was printed in the May 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware
Glazing Identification
Photo: Johnathan D Anderson
WW: The Art of Wired Glass
The jagged edges and shards formed by broken wired glass create hauntingly beautiful images, but may also leave life-long scars. All of these images are published with permission from the artists. Please do not duplicate them.