 It heats
our living rooms, cooks our food and without it life would
be unimaginable. We freely allow it as a friend into our
homes, schools hospitals and offices. It is also very
dangerous and each year, kills an estimated 166,000 people
worldwide, that’s nearly 19 fatalities every hour of every
day. Fire, when tamed, is one of the essential building
blocks of civilised existence. Untamed, it can be a serial
killer with no regard for either kings or paupers.
It is
important for designers to recognise that incorporating fire
safety equipment, such as fire rated windows and doors, does
not mean sacrificing aesthetics. However for full fire
safety compliance and certification every component must
have been tested and approved in combination as a complete
design unit (of frame, glass, sealant and fixing system) and
that substitution of any component with a non-approved
component risks invalidating the design approval.
As
building safety code regulations force wider application of
fire rated systems, we here at Southern Steel Windows can
offer the services of design, manufacture and installation
for fire rated glazing solutions up to 120 minutes integrity
and insulation. We utilise two types of framing system the
Firegate Series and Wrightstyle Steel Glazing Systems both
have benefits.
The
Firegate Series is the basic profile generally associated
with Fire rated windows in New Zealand. A fusible peg design
enables us to incorporate opening sashes into the fire rated
application without horrendous cost. At 55 degrees Celsius
the solder releases on the fusible peg which unlatches the
sash arm, from there kinetic energy closes the window and a
pair of ‘nippy’ catches clamps the window in a fixed
position.
The
Wrightstyle Steel Glazing Systems from the United Kingdom
have extensive testing and research to allow New Zealand
designers to achieve there concept with compliance to
relevant Fire Resistant Ratings. Such designs include
sliding units, curtain walling and glazed doors all which
can be achieved in large clear areas either as single or
double glazed.
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