Fire Resistant Switchable Glass – A Stylish Alternative
Over the years we have seen switchable glass installed in all kinds of applications. From theatre set design to shower rooms, you don’t have to think hard to imagine an application for switchable glass, and its benefits are numerous. Boasting excellent insulating properties, UV light and sound transmission, energy performance is high on the agenda with our switchable technology. But we don’t stop there. Fire resistant switchable glass is yet another application we have recently seen our technology work perfectly in.
Why Fire Resistant Switchable Glass?
Fire can cause total devastation. Your buildings, possessions, assets and even lives are vulnerable against fire. Our fire resistant switchable glass allows you to have the best of both worlds- a multi-functional investment that’s both stylish and safe. With privacy or projection only a press of a button away, switchable glass is a comprehensive solution for commercial and residential applications, where windows and glass partitions are an important feature.
The residential applications of switchable fire safety glass can make a big difference to the safety of your home. As technological appliances become a bigger part of our lives, we are increasingly surrounded by threats in the home. Taking the best precautions when requiring a piece of privacy glass is just common sense. By installing fire resistant switchable glass as part of a partition or door, you can help to keep your family safe from many of the dangers associated with fire, and especially, the dangers of glass in a fire.
In commercial applications, fire safety switchable glass is a perfect solution to help to protect your livelihood, and the livelihoods of your employees. Placed in the right way, you can apply this technology to safeguard valuable office equipment or even furniture, minimising damage and helping to contain any fire that may break out. Considering that one of the primary functions of switchable glass is to provide privacy, fire resistant switchable glass is perfectly placed for enclosing somewhere like a server room- providing privacy to hide your valuable IT systems as well as containing any fire which may break out, an important feature for an area with such a high risk of fire.
Fire resistant switchable glass will help you meet fire safety regulations whilst maintaining the stylish and modern environment you are looking to achieve. A perfect alternative for standard steel or wooden fire doors, fire safety switchable glass may even be a safer option, allowing for the potential of greater visibility in the unfortunate event that the unthinkable does happen.
Of course, there are numerous specialist applications of this technology that meets various safety and practical requirements perfectly. Prisons, factories, schools or even hospitals could make good use of such an installation, providing essential functionality as well as fulfilling safety requirements. Fire resistant switchable glass can even be of benefit to vulnerable environments, such as embassies, military buildings, government offices, research laboratories or energy plants. However, listed & historical buildings are amongst the most at risk and vulnerable from a fire outbreak. Usually, these buildings have not been built to modern safety standards, which makes additional safeguards all the more important. Fire safety switchable glass can be integrated with the style and theme of your environment with the utmost discretion. So much so, we regularly see it used as part of solutions in churches and other places of worship with the preservation of traditional styling high on the agenda.
Project Focus
One of our most recent fire safety switchable glass installations was seen in a residential application. With some rather technical and specific requirements, this project is ideal at showcasing our technology’s versatility. By applying switchable film to Pyroguard’s fire safety glass, the client’s requirements were met with expert care. He offered this statement on the project-
“On first detailed investigation, we feared we would have to abandon our plan for our new smart glass, interior, mezzanine window. The practical obstacles kept mounting. Building Controls insisted that the window had to be toughened to prevent the possibility of someone falling through from the bedroom side. Then that it had also to be fire rated as the window overlooks our new kitchen. The number of layers in our ‘sandwich’ was growing! Toughened:Smart:Fireproof. That added up to one inch thick laminate. So, that was also too heavy now keep as one piece for our 4m wide X 2m high triangular window. Who on earth would be able to step up to that challenge? Sourcing the different glasses, then applying the switchable glass layer to the toughened, then completing the bonding of the sandwich with the fire proof layer. All needed to be precision cut to mm accuracy for each of the three pieces defined by wooden templates that we had prepared in advance and shipped to the factory.
Intelligent Glass expertly managed the project perfectly, and all was done on time and shipped with the very greatest care and attention.
Our new window continues to delight us (and all who see it): the centre point of our ‘grand design’.”
Fire Resistant Switchable Glass installed in a residential application. Project in collaboration with Pryoguard.
Interested?
Intelligent Glass offers a wide range of switchable smart glass solutions with options including toughened glass, laminated panels, smart glass windows and the retrofit self-adhesive switchable film.
If you would like further information, a pricing quote, or to discuss ideas for using our switchable smart glass and smart film products, please please get in touch using the form below, or call us on +44 (0)1226 351 759.