"emergency lighting"

Traditional parking garage designs used to have opaque fire rated building materials like concrete, masonry and drywall which made these spaces dark, cold and uninviting. That all changed, thanks to the emergence of new technology, clear, fire resistive glazing tested to ULC/CAN S101 up to 2 hours that are available in large sizes and low-iron glass make-ups with high visible light transmission for superior clarity and color neutrality.

Central to the new UC Davis Medical Center Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion's design was a large skylight that allows natural light to vertically flow into the atrium area and other light wells throughout the building. However, they also wanted to let light flow horizontally into the adjacent hallways, rooms, etc. Because the walls in the atrium and light wells have to meet a 2-hour rating, Stantec Architects approached SAFTI FIRST® for a solution. Large portions of the 2 hour atrium and light well walls were made “transparent” with the use of SuperLite® II-XL 120 in GPX® Framing.

The Salt Lake City Public Safety Building in Utah is the first U.S. Public Safety Building to achieve both a net-zero rating and LEED Platinum status and designed to survive a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and remain fully functional afterwards. This ensures that the city’s emergency operations center can survive and help the city recover in the event of an earthquake or a similar disaster. Fire rated glass contributes to achieving sustainable design goals by maximizing daylight penetration deep within a building and shared artificial lighting between spaces. It also ensures that occupants can exit the building safely in the event of an earthquake, which can damage sprinkler systems and render them ineffective.

To preserve the building’s open design and to extend natural light further in the building, the architects incorporated fire resistive glazing in the areas that required a 2-hour fire rating, particularly in the stairwells and exit passageways at the new Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Bringing the outside in was an important design element for the newly opened BART Milpitas Transit Center. ASTM E-119/UL 263/CAN ULC S101 rated, fire resistive SuperLite® II-XLB 60 butt-glazed walls were used for the 1 hour light wells to allow abundant natural light to flow vertically and horizontally through two levels – from the entrance/ticketing level and all the way down to the tracks where the train cars are.

Preface One of the objectives of the CSSBI and its members is the development of standards and technical publications that promote safety, performance and good practice. This "How To Series" of publications is an educational tool intended to give guidance to anyone specifying sheet steel building products. This particular publication is published as an aid to building owners as well as roofing and siding installers. It offers simple and practical recommendations for the selection, application and installation of light gauge steel cladding. This is a generic guide giving the basic details and should only supplement the specific recommendations or guidance published by the manufacturer appropriate to their own products. The views expressed in this guide are a collection of installation techniques and do not necessarily reflect those of all member companies of the CANADIAN SHEET STEEL BUILDING INSTITUTE. The material presented in this publication has been prepared for the general information of the reader. While the material is believed to be technically correct and in accordance with recognized good practice at the time of publication, it should not be used without first securing competent advice with respect to its suitability for any specific application. Neither the CANADIAN SHEET STEEL BUILDING INSTITUTE nor its Members warrant or assume liability for the suitability of this bulletin for any general or particular application.

Prairie Hills Junior High School's south-facing elevation features a glazed aluminum curtain wall that incorporates PPG Solarblue and PPG Solarban 60 glazing. Parts of the curtain wall had to meet a two-hour rating because it was adjacent to a two-hour block wall through the building's interior. SAFTI FIRST® supplied SuperLite® II-XL 120 IGU in GPX® Curtain Wall Framing in order to meet ASTM E-119/NFPA 251/UL263 requirements.

SAFTI FIRST® provided a unique, artistic 2-hour fire resistive glass floor to the new Union Square Station in San Francisco. This glass floor acts as a lightwell and designed to improve wayfinding by welcoming commuters into the concourse level while meeting all the fire rated code requirements. Because SAFTI FIRST®’s products are proudly USA-made, it met the Buy America requirements of the project as well.

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Chicago features an incredible, 4-story mural by local artist Eulojio Ortega. The mural, brilliant for conveying the story as visitors go from floor to floor, is interestingly located in an exit stairwell. Traditionally, stairwells are enclosed in opaque walls, leaving them dark, isolated, and rarely utilized unless in an emergency. To allow the mural to be visible through multiple floors, encourage stair usage and meet fire rated code requirements, the architects redesigned the 2- hour stairwell using transparent, floor-to-ceiling butt-glazed glass walls with the largest tested and listed fire resistive glass panels available.

Steel has been used in North American construction projects for more than 150 years and still remains one of the strongest, most durable and economical building materials available today. Although steel has been traditionally associated with high-rise buildings, bridge structures and commercial and industrial projects, it is rapidly emerging as the logical material of choice for residential construction. Cold formed sheet steel panels are lightweight, economical, easy to handle and represent a high quality alternative to traditional roofing materials. Environmental and economic considerations have prompted many residential homeowners to investigate alternative building materials and methods, and steel roofing panels have proven technical benefits as well as excellent recycling capabilities which make them an increasingly popular choice. This follows the long-time use of steel roofing in commercial construction where steel has built undisputable quality and performance records. 

SuperLite® II-XLM 120 clear butt-glazed walls with 9 ft. GPX® Builders Series 90 minute Temperature Rise doors creates a light-filled, transparent 2-hour stairwell that is on-brand with Waste Management’s new Houston Headquarters.

SAFTI FIRST® became aware of the new 21c Museum Hotel project when the design team called looking for an economical option for a unique fire rated application for a boutique hotel in Nashville’s historical Printers Alley neighborhood. The design featured a glass floor on the 2nd level that would also act as a light well. In order to comply with fire rated code requirements, the transparent floor needed to meet a 1-hour fire resistive rating.

The new Orlando VA Medical Center needed glazing that would not only provide light and transparency, but fire and hurricane protection and improved energy performance. SuperLite® II-XL in GPX® Hurricane Framing from SAFTI FIRST® was installed in exterior fire-rated locations that were exposed to the elements. These assemblies were rigorously tested and certified for fire and radiant heat protection for up to two hours, large missile impact, air and water infiltration, and cyclic wind loading.

Ratcliff was chosen as the architect to design the new three-story, 60,000 square foot San Jose Downtown Health Center that includes urgent care for adults and children, primary care for pediatric, OB/GYN and family medicine, behavioral health services, laboratory, pharmacy and radiology departments. Their design takes advantage of glazing’s ability to draw natural light from the outdoors to create a warm, pleasing atmosphere that promotes healing. Part of the hospital’s exterior curtain wall had to be fire rated for one hour and meet seismic requirements per SB 1953 as well.

A building’s design is very much influenced by the function it performs and the perceived threats that it may face – whether it’s from natural disasters, accidents or terrorist attacks – with the latter being a foremost concern for federal courthouses, embassies, government facilities and other high profile buildings. Because of these security concerns, trade-offs have been made when it comes to daylighting, energy efficiency and aesthetics to name a few. The good news is that today, high-performance security glazing make-ups are available to meet the level of protection needed while continuing to provide natural light and a feeling of openness.

This new 120,000 square foot, state-of-the-art convening center features a 1,000-seat auditorium that is large enough to host the entire MBA class. The glass atrium floods the multi-purpose lobby with natural light, as well as provides a visual connection between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment. To maximize transparency, SAFTI FIRST® met with the architects during the design phase to create a large, 2-hour, glass wall that separates the lobby from the auditorium while providing a visual connection between them. Since this 2-hour glass wall also serves as the entrance to the auditorium, deciding on a 90-minute door system was of upmost important. SAFTI FIRST®’s in-house engineering department provided design assistance, system details, engineering calculations and support from the planning phase all the way to the submittal process.