{"id":23365,"date":"2022-11-03T03:12:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T10:12:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safti.com\/?post_type=case-study&p=23365"},"modified":"2023-02-13T11:23:46","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T18:23:46","slug":"boston-building-protects-property-line-with-fire-resistive-curtain-wall","status":"publish","type":"case-study","link":"https:\/\/safti.com\/case-studies\/boston-building-protects-property-line-with-fire-resistive-curtain-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston Building Protects Property Line with Fire Resistive Curtain Wall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Fire Resistive Curtain Wall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Case Study. Boston Building Protects Property Line with Fire Resistive Curtain Wall. The west facing elevation of The Kensington was close to the property line, which meant that the exterior had to meet the ASTM E-119 wall standard. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The majority of fire rated glazing applications occur inside the building. Fire rated glass installed in corridors, exits and stairwells work to allow occupants to exit the building safely, or provide an area of refuge, during a fire. But what happens when the threat of fire comes from the outside?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was the case for The Kensington, a mixed-use residential building in Boston. The west-facing elevation was in close proximity to the property line, prompting the building official to require part of the curtain wall had to meet ASTM E-119\/NFPA 251\/UL263 for 60 minutes. In addition, the fire rated curtain wall had to match the rest of the non-rated systems seamlessly, as well as pass the rigorous dynamic testing prescribed by CDC (Curtain Wall Design and Consulting), the firm hired by the architect to ensure that the building was air and water tight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet these requirements, SAFTI <\/strong>FIRST<\/strong><\/em>\u00ae\u00a0supplied SuperLite II-XL 60 insulated with Solarban 70XL in\u00a0GPX Curtain Wall Framing<\/a>\u00a0in a continuous span from the seventh to the tenth floor, with a segmented portion at the center, per the architect\u2019s design. The aluminum covers used in the\u00a0GPX Curtain Wall Framing<\/a>\u00a0System had a champagne metallic finish and mimicked the appearance of an aluminum pressure wall, easily matching the non-rated exterior glazing systems. The ability to incorporate Solarban 70XL also contributed to meeting an average U-value no more than 0.40 and a solar heat gain coefficient no greater than 0.25 as required in the specifications. Since the\u00a0GPX Curtain Wall Framing<\/a>\u00a0system is thermally broken, it is a natural selection for exterior fire resistive applications in places that experience extreme weather like the Northeast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In addition, the system was subjected to dynamic curtain wall testing designed to replicate real world conditions. An independent test lab was hired to perform the following tests, which SAFTI <\/strong>FIRST<\/strong><\/em>\u00ae\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0GPX Curtain Wall Framing<\/a>\u00a0System successfully passed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n