GPX® Architectural Series

The new Orlando VA Medical Center needed glazing that would not only provide light and transparency, but fire and hurricane protection and improved energy performance. SuperLite II-XL in GPX Hurricane Framing from SAFTI FIRST® was installed in exterior fire-rated locations that were exposed to the elements. These assemblies were rigorously tested and certified for fire and radiant heat protection for up to two hours, large missile impact, air and water infiltration, and cyclic wind loading.

Because the Sapphire Towers' south facing elevation was in close proximity to the adjacent property, code regulations required the south façade to either be solid, which was contrary to the design, or to have openings with a minimum fire protection of 45 minutes. SAFTI FIRST® engineered a system that met the uniform design demands and performance requirements for the windows and balconies in all 32 floors in the south-facing elevation.

When the Cincinnati Art Museum embarked on an $11 million renovation, the architects wanted the entrance and main stair to be as inviting as possible. Transparent, fire rated glazing from SAFTI FIRST® was a key component of the design solution. To maximize the vision area in door itself, SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Builders Series Temperature Rise full-lite doors. In some of the stairwell doors in less prominent locations, SAFTI FIRST® provided SuperLite X-90 for the vision panels under 100 sq. inches.

The Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering within the Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro, North Carolina is a new 105,000 sf interdisciplinary research facility dedicated to academic and industrial research. To create an open, transparent lab design, SAFTI FIRST® provided SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Frames for the 60 minute walls.

AJC Architects of Salt Lake City, Utah looked to SAFTI FIRST® when it came time to renovate the media center and build a new counseling center for North Layton Junior High School. They realized they could take advantage of a clear fire-rated glazing to keep the look of the media center and provide an open, welcoming entrance to the new counseling center.

Central to the building's design are several simulation labs, practice labs, and mock operating rooms where students can observe instructors and each other as they perform their tasks. Because these labs are in areas where a 1-hour fire rating has to be maintained, the architects chose to combine vision, transparency, and fire safety with SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Framing.

Central to the new UC Davis Medical Center Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion's design was a large skylight that allows natural light to vertically flow into the atrium area and other light wells throughout the building. However, they also wanted to let light flow horizontally into the adjacent hallways, rooms, etc. Because the walls in the atrium and light wells have to meet a 2-hour rating, Stantec Architects approached SAFTI FIRST® for a solution. Large portions of the 2 hour atrium and light well walls were made “transparent” with the use of SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX Framing.

For a recent renovation of a stairwell and exit corridors at Ridgewood High School in Illinois, the design team specified SuperLite II-XL 60 in GPX Architectural Series Framing for its optical clarity, storefront-like appearance, and high STC ratings. In order to meet the code requirements and maximize the daylight penetrating into the building, the architects decided to use fire rated glass in the one-hour exit corridor. Because the glazing exceeds 25% of the wall area, fire resistive glass and framing assemblies rated equal to the wall had to be used.

For BART's Doolittle Maintenance Facility at the new Oakland Airport connector, SAFTI FIRST provided 60 minute, fire resistive wall openings in the exterior using SuperLite II-XL 60 insulated with low-e glazing in GPX Framing with a clear anodized finish. SAFTI FIRST engineered a connection that allows the structural elements of the GPX Architectural Series Framing System to support an integral sunshade system, instead of being hung in front of it. The Doolittle Bart Station is one of the first installations of the GPX Architectural Series System with sunshade connections, which also include SLCC New Instruction and Administrative Building in Salt Lake City, UT.

The new San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Headquarters combines maximum daylighting and fire safety with a multi-story, fire rated glass stairwell from SAFTI FIRST®. 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. SAFTI FIRST® supplied SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX Architectural Series Wall Framing and SuperLite II-XL 90 in GPX Builders Series Temperature Rise Door starting from the lobby all the way to the topmost floor.

One of the highlights of the SUNY University Hospital’s vertical expansion is the addition of the Golisano Children’s Hospital on the top two floors of the six-story addition. Since the project added new floors, stairwell enclosures were also added. Traditionally, stairwells are relegated to the back of the building, and are usually closed-off, dimly lit and seldom used. Today, stairwells are becoming a prominent design feature and their use is encouraged more and more for the health benefits that stair climbing provides.

Ratcliff was chosen as the architect to design the new three-story, 60,000 square foot San Jose Downtown Health Center that includes urgent care for adults and children, primary care for pediatric, OB/GYN and family medicine, behavioral health services, laboratory, pharmacy and radiology departments. Their design takes advantage of glazing’s ability to draw natural light from the outdoors to create a warm, pleasing atmosphere that promotes healing. Part of the hospital’s exterior curtain wall had to be fire rated for one hour and meet seismic requirements per SB 1953 as well.

To preserve the building’s open design and to extend natural light further in the building, the architects incorporated fire resistive glazing in the areas that required a 2-hour fire rating, particularly in the stairwells and exit passageways at the new Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

Adaptive reuse, or the process of taking an old building or structure and repurposing it for something other than what it was originally designed for, has gained a lot traction with developers and architects alike – and for many good reasons. For one thing, it is more economical and sustainable to work with an existing structure than to demolish an old building, clean up the site, and rebuild with entirely new materials. It also helps preserve historical structures that add character to the community, as well as reduce urban sprawl. For the multifamily sector, we’ve seen adaptive reuse applied to old schools, government buildings, warehouses, etc. because these structures are usually centrally located in many downtown areas.

The University of Wisconsin School of Business Grainger Hall’s east and west wings are now linked by a state-of-the-art Learning Commons that encourages collaboration through technology and design. To achieve maximum transparency while meeting code requirements, the architects specified 9 ft. tall, clear, fire resistive butt-glazed walls using SuperLite II-XLM in GPX Architectural Series perimeter framing.

As America celebrated National Bourbon Day on June 14, downtown Louisville also celebrated the highly anticipated grand opening of the Old Forester Distillery. This event is also touted as a triumphant return of America’s first bottled bourbon in continuous production by the same family before, during, and after Prohibition to Whiskey Row. See how SAFTI FIRST® fire rated glass walls helped create an immersive visitor center with a fully operational distillery, cooperage and bottling line.

This new 120,000 square foot, state-of-the-art convening center features a 1,000-seat auditorium that is large enough to host the entire MBA class. The glass atrium floods the multi-purpose lobby with natural light, as well as provides a visual connection between the interior of the building and the outdoor environment. To maximize transparency, SAFTI FIRST met with the architects during the design phase to create a large, 2-hour, glass wall that separates the lobby from the auditorium while providing a visual connection between them. Since this 2-hour glass wall also serves as the entrance to the auditorium, deciding on a 90-minute door system was of upmost important. SAFTI FIRST’s in-house engineering department provided design assistance, system details, engineering calculations and support from the planning phase all the way to the submittal process.

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. See how fire rated glass helped the designers meet the fire rated requirements for this atrium while providing clear, unobstructed views.

Who hasn’t uttered the words or at least heard of a “Target run”? What started out as a marketing campaign to get more foot traffic in their brick and mortar stores has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. Aside from being a call-to-action, #TargetRun is a trending hashtag used by shoppers to share their in-store shopping experience on social media.

Traditional parking garage designs used to have opaque fire rated building materials like concrete, masonry and drywall which made these spaces dark, cold and uninviting. That all changed, thanks to the emergence of new technology, clear, fire resistive glazing tested to ULC/CAN S101 up to 2 hours that are available in large sizes and low-iron glass make-ups with high visible light transmission for superior clarity and color neutrality.

SuperLite II-XLM 120 clear butt-glazed walls with 9 ft. GPX Builders Series 90 minute Temperature Rise doors creates a light-filled, transparent 2-hour stairwell that is on-brand with Waste Management’s new Houston Headquarters.