Project: Confidential Tech Giant Offices
Architect: SERA Architects
Glazier: Walters & Wolf
Products: SuperLite II-XLB 120 in GPX Architectural Series Perimeter Framing by SAFTI FIRST
There is a growing trend in office space design that favors increased opportunities for connectivity and collaboration among its occupants. In buildings with multiple floors, this can be a challenge as the vertical separation between floors makes face-to-face encounters less likely to happen. One way to get around this is by incorporating an atrium, where part of the central floor section is removed. In the report Innovation Spaces: The Design of Work , the authors write that the addition of an atrium to a building design “not only provided important daylight, it created important visual connectivity between spaces.”
This was the strategy employed by the architects designing new office spaces for one of the world’s leading tech corporations. At the heart of the building is an atrium connecting the 6th to the 8th floor to allow daylight and visual connection from different work spaces. For maximum transparency, glazing is used throughout this space.
One of the areas where glazing is used as a design feature is in the 2-hour atrium wall on the 8th floor, housing the library. To meet the fire-resistance-rating requirement, initial designs show an alternate assembly requiring prior AHJ approval that uses a combination laminated ceramic glass and special purpose deluge sprinklers. This was later abandoned because the designers wanted unobstructed, floor-to-ceiling views.
Walters & Wolf, the glazing contractor for this project, collaborated with SAFTI FIRST on a clear solution that did not have any specialty deluge sprinklers in plain sight that could obstruct views. Robert Vaugh, the estimator at Walters & Wolf, worked with SAFTI FIRST’s Rafael Valencia during the bidding phase. “Rafael is always quick to respond and is knowledgeable about the different fire rated systems and their capabilities,” says Robert
To meet the code requirement and the design aesthetic, SAFTI FIRST provided a complete, 2-hour fire resistive butt-glazed wall assembly using ASTM E-119/UL 263 rated SuperLite II-XLB 120 in GPX Architectural Series perimeter framing. During the construction phase, Roberto Castaneda, project manager at Walters & Wolf, describes a positive experience while working with SAFTI FIRST. “From shop drawings and submittals to materials delivered on site, the experience was pleasant and our customer was very satisfied with the product,” says Roberto.
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In addition to eliminating special purpose deluge sprinklers, SAFTI FIRST’s fire resistive, 2-hour butt-glazed wall assembly presented many advantages to the architects and the building occupants, such as:
Click here to view a useful infographic on the real trade-offs when using special purpose deluge sprinklers to meet fire ratings.
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The result is a beautiful, light-filled atrium offering maximum views and reliable fire protection. Not only did it meet the fire rated code requirements, but the design intent and aesthetics of the project were achieved as well.