Public Authority

In terms of basic requirements, government, embassy and public authority buildings are usually treated as a combination of office buildings and public assembly places. As a consequence, stricter security requirements also apply here, extending in some cases to bullet-proof performance classes, calling for special solutions also in terms of fire protection. Furthermore, increased sound insulation requirements determine the system design. These particular requirements can be met by using special fire-resistant glass types for security and sound insulation, matching even the highest level of requirements.

Example of application:

Reichstag (German Parliament), Berlin

The rebuilt Reichstag is surely one of the most prominent Millennium projects. The aim was to make democracy visible to the General Public without compromising on safety for the politicians. It took more than 5 years of close collaboration with architects and specialist framing companies to specify, design and fire test the 5,000 m² of fire-resistant glazing. It is until today the largest area of fire protection glazing in a single building, featuring the spectacular steel membrane structure with 12 to 16 m high suspended glass walls surrounding the chamber. It was equipped with a special EW 30 glass type Pilkington Pyrodur^® that offers additional sound insulation and burglar resistance properties; Pilkington Optiwhite™ - Pilkington’s extra clear glass – was used throughout to reach the highest possible level of light transmission. Glazed Fire-resistant loaded floors between the roof of the Chamber and the press lobby ensure that plenty of daylight gets in between the large dome of the Chamber; numerous fire-resistant partitions and double-leaf doors with an impressive 2.80 m leaf height round off the fire protection concept.