Using Fire Resistive Glass Walls to Bring in Light and Encourage People to Take the Stairs
There’s a “movement” underway to transform dark, hidden stairwells into prominent, spacious, inviting staircases filled with natural light. When the active design movement started in 1990s, it was two-fold. First, the Center for Disease Control and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation sponsored studies linking inactivity to obesity and illness. Second, there was increased awareness in the building community about designing buildings that conserve energy. Recent progress in making stairways prominent has been spurred by policies adopted by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and Mayor Bloomberg, and by new active design projects. The stairway renaissance not only provides health benefits, but saves energy, provides vertical flexibility and connectivity, and improves workplace efficiency and overall occupant safety. Read more…
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Stairway Prominent in SFPUC Office Building
Dubbed as the “greenest building in North America,” this Class A LEED Platinum office building features a transparent, 2-hour fire rated stairwell, situated prominently near the main entrance. This enables abundant natural light to penetrate further into the building, as well as unobstructed views to the outside for all 14 floors. US Glass named the project as its winner in its 3rd Annual Green Design Awards. To meet the design, LEED and fire rating requirements of the application, SAFTI FIRST supplied SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX Wall Framing and SuperLite II-XL 90 in HMTR Door Framing, starting from the lobby all the way to the top-most floor. Read more…
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