Assured Fire Protection For Fitzwilliam Museum

Undertaken as part of a £12 million expansion programme, which has improved facilities at the museum, the bespoke fire-resistant glass floors, constructed using Pilkington Pyrostop™ and Pilkington Optifloat™ are located throughout the museum and have been specified to protect the building’s stairwells, raised walkways and communal areas in the event of fire.

Constructed by specialist fabricator T & W Ide Fire Products Ltd, the multi-laminated fire-resistant glass floors consist of a bottom layer of 23mm Pilkington  T & W Ide Fire Products Ltd and two layers of 25mm Pilkington Optifloat™ sandwiched either side of two resin interlayers, forming a single glass construction.

Specified for its excellent fire resistant qualities by architect, John Miller & Partners, Pilkington Pyrostop™ is ideally suited for fire-resistant glass floor applications whilst its transparency can add to the overall aesthetic feel of buildings in terms of light and space.

Mary Commerford, from John Miller & Partners, commented: “The correct specification of the right products for inclusion in the numerous fire-resistant glass floors throughout the museum was vital. We wanted a translucent glass that would aid in meeting the current legislative requirements governing natural daylight within the building, creating a seamless visual appearance – whilst complying fully with the stringent fire-resistant and loadbearing requirements. The combination of 23mm Pilkington Pyrostop™ and Pilkington Optifloat™ met these requirements exactly.”

Tested in sizes up to 1300mm x 1300mm for this application, 23mm Pilkington Pyrostop™ is a clear, laminated, fully insulating fire and safety glass that offers the highest levels of fire protection. It provides both the integrity requirement of a barrier to both flames and hot gases as well as ensuring effective insulation from the radiant heat of a blaze for a time period of up to 60 minutes.

Complying with the exacting temperature criteria defined in British, European and International test standards, it has special interlayers which react to heat by foaming to provide an opaque barrier, minimising the effect of panic and acting as a pointer for fire services to indicate the presence of a fire on the other side. Furthermore, 23mm Pilkington Pyrostop™, has achieved a Class A impact safety rating in accordance with BS 6206.