Building codes in North America – including the International Building Code (IBC) and National Building Code of Canada (NBC) – require glazing in certain applications to be fire-rated in schools and other public and commercial buildings.
Such is the case with the Durham District School Board’s (DDSB) Brooklin High School, opened in autumn 2015. Serving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) community of Brooklin, the new 173,200 square foot (16,090 m2) high school includes extensive glazing throughout to provide natural light and visibility for students and staff.
To fulfill code requirements for defending against the spread of deadly flames and smoke in case of a fire, Aerloc Industries (Dundas, Ontario) installed 3,500 square feet (325 m2) of high-performance fire-rated glass ceramic in doors, sidelites, transoms and interior windows throughout the school. One captivating use of the glazing is in a second floor lofted space overlooking a common area. With the clarity of ordinary window glass, the 45-minute rated glazing provides essential life safety while helping to create a welcoming school environment. In addition to fire protection, the multi-functional glass ceramic is also impact safety rated, to help prevent injuries from glass breakage if students run into it – important in a busy school serving 1,125 teenagers in grades 9 to 12.
Fire-rated glass doors provide visibility
For the fire-rated glazing, Aerloc Industries installed two products from Technical Glass Products (TGP): FireLite Plus® and FireLite® NT. Both products are clear and wireless glass ceramics with available fire-ratings ranging from 20 – 180 minutes, and passing both the code required fire test and hose stream test. The two glazing lines are impact safety rated in accordance with ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16CFR1201 (Cat. I and II), and are available in large sizes. Such fire-rated glazing provides essential passive protection against fire to supplement fire alarms and automatic sprinklers and automatic fire doors.
The full FireLite family of products is manufactured with TGP’s UltraHD® Technology, a process that improves the color, clarity, and surface quality of fire-rated ceramic glass, resulting in superior aesthetics.
Take a video tour of the new Brooklin High School building, and hear students’ and staffs’ thoughts on the facility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knyV8Bs2rhM
For more information on the FireLite family of products, view a short video at fireglass.com.
Additional Information
Project: Brooklin High School
Location: Brooklin, Ontario (Greater Toronto Area)
Architect: Moffet & Duncan Architects, Inc.
Glazier: Aerloc Industries
Product: FireLite Plus® and FireLite® NT fire-rated glass ceramic
Technical Glass Products
800.426.0279
800.451.9857 – fax
sales@fireglass.com
www.fireglass.com
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Dec 10, 2021
Trends in K-12 school design, with Dan Boggio and Melissa Turnbaugh of PBK
Dan Boggio and Melissa Turnbaugh of PBK, the largest K-12 design firm in the U.S., discuss the favorable market conditions and the latest trends in K-12 school design with BD+C's Rob Cassidy.
Giants 400 | Nov 18, 2021
2021 K-12 School Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. K-12 school facilities sector
PBK, Gilbane, AECOM, and DLR Group head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest K-12 school facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
2021 Building Team Awards | Nov 17, 2021
Caltech's new neuroscience building unites scientists, engineers to master the human brain
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena wins a Gold Award in BD+C's 2021 Building Team Awards.
Designers / Specifiers / Landscape Architects | Nov 16, 2021
‘Desire paths’ and college campus design
If a campus is not as efficient as it could be, end users will use their feet to let designers know about it.
K-12 Schools | Nov 14, 2021
New Blackwater Community School completed for Gila River Indian Community, in Arizona
Construction on the new Blackwater Community School, a two-story structure on the Gila River Indian Community, located southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, was completed on August 31, 2021.
K-12 Schools | Nov 10, 2021
K-12 school design innovation: 'Learning Everywhere' and the mobile classroom
Last September, AIA San Francisco awarded the Professional Category in its 2021 Future Classroom Competition to a five-person team from Culver City, Calif.-based Berliner Architects. The firm was selected for its “Learning Everywhere” idea that features a mobile strategy for education at school, home, on field trips, and in transit. BD+C's John Caulfield discuss that concept with Richard Berliner, AIA, Principal, Berliner Architects.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021
14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design
The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.
Education Facilities | Oct 20, 2021
Kenneth K.T. Yen Humanities Building completes for The Pennington School
Voith & Mactavish Architects designed the project.
| Oct 14, 2021
The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab
In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.
University Buildings | Sep 28, 2021
Designing for health sciences education: Specialty instruction and human anatomy labs
It is a careful balance within any educational facility to provide both multidisciplinary, multiuse spaces and special-use spaces that serve particular functions.
