With three kids in various stages of university life (a recent graduate now a teaching assistant at the university level, a college freshman, and one submitting her applications for next year), I’ve spent A LOT of time in university buildings recently.  One trend that I’ve noticed on many of these campuses is the increased use of glazing for light transmission and to connect spaces for student interaction.

While I love the open feel of these buildings, code compliance is an important consideration when glazing is used in walls that are required to be fire resistance rated.  For example, walls surrounding a stairwell are crucial for protecting the means of egress as a safe evacuation route during a fire.  Openings in these walls must be protected by fire door assemblies and fire windows, to ensure the required level of fire protection.

Technical Glass Products (TGP) manufactures a wide range of glazing products that can be used to meet the design goals as well as the code requirements.  A recent project at the University of Pittsburgh illustrated how collaboration between designers, glaziers and the manufacturer allowed code-compliance without compromising the design intent.

Check out the case study here!

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