Commercial Building Design
New York, New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia
When designing a commercial building, light transmission does not have to be sacrificed to obtain the industrial-strength characteristics required in commercial building materials.
THICKSET glass block from Pittsburgh Corning is ideal for use in schools, airports, transit stations and government buildings. THICKSET is also a great building material for residential applications such as multi-family housing areas.
Benefits of THICKSET Glass Block include;
- superior sound transmissions ratings,
- a range of visibility options from clear to opaque depending on your privacy needs,
- graffiti resistant with easy to clean and durable glass surface,
- weather resistant including impact resistant to projectile objects during high winds,
- Fire Rated by Underwriters Laboratories.
The Fire Rated Glass Block products from Pittsburgh Corning include the Thickset 60 and the Thickset 90. All THICKSET 90 (thick-faced) and solid glass blocks have fire ratings of up to 90 minutes, and the THICKSET® 60 glass blocks have fire ratings up to 60 minutes, when used as window assemblies and when permitted by code. All Pittsburgh Corning fire rated glass block products can be viewed on Underwriters Laboratories’ Website.
Glass Block contributes to natural Daylighting and creates an appealing indoor environment. In short, no other comparable building material provides the beauty, strength, and security needs of Glass Block.
Installation Considerations
Installation is easier than one would expect. The framing, anchoring and installation details for the fire resistant windows are the same as installing any non-fire rated glass block panel. The one distinct difference for fire resistance is that the sealant used at the jamb and head locations must be a fire-retardant type sealant.
All 90 minute rated glass back window assemblies may only be installed within masonry or concrete walls, may only be framed and anchored with 1/4 inch thick steel channels or angles that form channels; and the expansion material within the channels must be doubled (or 3/4 inches thick). Finally their Universal Mortar Spacers are listed by Underwriters Laboratories under Classification Number R 18572 and can be used to construct fire rated glass block window assemblies.
Give us a call for further information. We would be pleased to answer any questions. We have over 20 years of experience designing and installing commercial and residential Glass Block nationwide and would love to hear from you.
Glass Block Blogger 