Balancing Act by Annie Sherman Fire-Rated Glass for Performance and Aesthetics F Fire-rated Glass by the Numbers ire-rated glass has surged in applica-tions during the past few years due to its versatility and application use in com-mercial buildings, including healthcare, higher education and transit centers. Why Fire-Rated Glass Used anywhere in a building to separate spaces and prevent fire from spreading, fire-rat-ed framing and glazing are constructed using thin layers of glass that sandwich intumescent interlayers, which turn into an opaque shield when exposed to fire. Fire-rated systems are classified as either protective or resistant. Pro-tective glass stops the spread of fire and smoke. Fire-resistant glass also stops the spread of fire and smoke while also being a barrier to radiant heat, says Jerry Cucchi, sales manager of Alu-Flam near Los Angeles. This is crucial for peo-ple fleeing a fire, he says, where temperatures reach more than 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. “Fire-rated products are used throughout a building on both the interior and exterior. The most obvious applications are in and around modes of egress: doors, sidelites, transoms, stair enclosures,” says Timothy Nass, vice president of sales at SaftiFirst in San Fran-cisco. “Population-dense areas such as the Northeast or other major cities face issues on the exterior to not only contain a fire within a property but also to prevent the fire from jumping to an adjacent property.” He continues, “The goal of the fire-rated manufacturers is to ensure that the fire-rated systems blend in seamlessly with the balance of the building envelope, and that includes air, water, thermal, structural, sound atten-uation and security, all while enhancing the overall safety of the building’s design and the security of its occupants.” 4.3% U.S. Market CAGR 2021-2028 $5.92 billion 61.0%+ North America held the largest revenue share in 2020. 32% Value of the global fire-resistant glass market size in 2028 Source: Grand View Research, Fire-resistant Glass Market Size Report, 2021-2028; base year for estimation, 2020 The building and construction segment accounts for fire-rated glazing’s largest revenue share of the global market 50 USGlass Metal & Glazing January 2024
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