Pilkington - Fire-Resistant Glass

The Pilkington Group is one of the world's largest manufacturers of glass and glazing products for the building and automotive markets, with manufacturing operations in 24 countries and sales in 130 countries. In conjunction with its associates, the group has the widest geographical reach of any glassmaker, enabling it to respond to customers whose operations are increasingly global.

With just over half the group's sales, Building Products is Pilkington's biggest business line, with manufacturing operations in 19 countries.

Float glass for the building market is sold without further processing, or being processed into products with additional properties. Pilkington products help control energy usage, protect against fire, insulate against noise, provide safety and security, and afford decoration and privacy. They are used in all-glass façades and include self-cleaning properties.

Building Products manufactures and distributes float glass and manufactures and processes added-value building glass products. Its main activities include:

• Float glass manufacturing
• Rolled glass manufacturing
• Coated, laminated, silvered and fire-resistant glass processing (semi-finished products)
• Toughened glass and insulating glass units processing
• Architectural glazing systems (e.g. Pilkington Profilit™) manufacturing

FIRE-RESISTANT GLASS

For public buildings, in which fire codes impose specific ratings for walls, doors, façades or roofs, transparent fire-resistant systems have become a viable alternative to opaque building elements. While opaque elements interfere with the overall spatial perception and light in the structure, the use of large expanses of fire-resistant glass makes it possible to retain an impression of spaciousness while at the same time allowing more natural light to enter. This creates a more pleasant atmosphere inside the structure.

The reputation of the Pilkington Group in the field of fire-resistant glazing is based upon the company's well-known products, Pilkington Pyrostop and Pilkington Pyrodur, both of which are marketed worldwide. Different types of glass and functional combinations make it possible to achieve virtually any structural or architectural configuration and also comply with international standards of fire resistance, which are expressed in terms of integrity, heat radiation and insulation.

As a result of their laminated sandwich-structure, both Pilkington Pyrostop and Pilkington Pyrodur retain their system integrity in the case of fire, thus preventing fire and smoke from spreading. They also substantially reduce, dependent on their thickness and rating, the transmission of dangerous heat radiation. By applying Pilkington Pyrostop, any passage, corridor, escape route or staircase can be used without danger, even in the case of prolonged exposure to fire (ratings between 30 and 180 minutes).

FIRE-RESISTANT GLAZING

Recent projects in airports including Frankfurt, Duesseldorf and Munich made extensive use of these advantages by integrating transparent fire barriers wherever necessary. Combining fire-resistant glazing with an overall concept of preventive measures against fire and smoke, they succeeded in creating an ambitious, widely approved safety standard, which corresponds brilliantly with their aesthetic claim to spaciousness and representative transparency.

Taking into account the constantly-increasing number of huge and spacious buildings, like airports, which incorporate high risks due to the amount of users, products and equipment within, fire-resistant glazing seems to be the most sophisticated solution in any effort to limit damages caused by fire.

FIRE-RESISTANT GLASS AND FRAME CONSTRUCTIONS

Fire-resistant glass and frame constructions are ideal for fire-resistant partitions, doors, façades and roofs. Apart from fire protection, they can fulfil additional functions like solar control, thermal insulation, noise control, safety and security, self-cleaning and decoration.

In addition to a matchless variety of glazing systems, developed in cooperation with leading market partners and specialists in the fire protection sector, the Pilkington Group bases its competence on more than 25 years of experience as a supplier for major building projects. All this makes fire-resistant glazing with Pilkington Pyrostop and Pilkington Pyrodur the natural choice when it comes to life and property safety combined with architectural aesthetics.