Fire-rated glass elevates stairwell design at Purdue University

{"version":"0.3.0","atoms":[],"cards":[["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1696606001\/rx5fu107pr3ksccuhqrv.jpg","id":"6675941"}],"caption":"Rendering of the new Dudley and Lambertus Halls at Purdue University [credit] Courtesy BSA LifeStructures"}],["images-card",{"images":[{"url":"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/dpcbzfiye\/image\/upload\/v1696606316\/ih0acm9kzm47wtpirzkd.jpg","id":"6675951"}],"caption":"o make the stairwells more inviting and encourage everyday use, Safti First SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX Architectural Series Framing was used for the 2-hour walls [Credit] Safti First"}]],"markups":[["em"],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-graduate-schools\/top-engineering-schools\/eng-rankings"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/best-graduate-schools\/top-engineering-schools\/eng-rankings","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.bsalifestructures.com\/","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/www.bsalifestructures.com\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/vimeo.com\/588032343"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/vimeo.com\/588032343","target","_blank"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/safti.com\/"]],["a",["href","https:\/\/safti.com\/","target","_blank"]]],"sections":[[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"Cold, dark, enclosed stairways no longer need to be the norm. AIA partner\nSafti First explores how architects at BSA LifeStructures used glass to create\ncode-compliant transparent stairwells for Purdue\u2019s engineering building. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"In the\n2023 US News \u0026 World Report "],[0,[1],1,"Best Engineering "],[0,[2],1,"Schools "],[0,[],0,"category, Purdue University ranked\n#4 for graduate and #9 in undergraduate programs. The consistently high\nrankings over the years have led to rapid growth in enrollment in Purdue\u2019s\nengineering and polytechnic programs. To address this need, the university\nturned to "],[0,[3],1,"BSA "],[0,[4],1,"LifeStructures"],[0,[],0," to design a new building that\nwould accommodate the growing enrollment as well as house state-of-the-art\nlaboratories to ensure Purdue stays on the leading edge. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"BSA\ndelivered on both fronts by designing the new Dudley and Lambertus Halls, a\nsix-story, 251,191-square-foot facility with multiple labs for research,\ninstruction, and to-scale manufacturing, engineering, and construction for\nhands-on learning."]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,0],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"BSA kept\nthe brick fa\u00e7ade that is Purdue\u2019s predominant architectural style, but\nmodernized it with large glass walls that allowed an abundance of natural light\nand vision into the building. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"To allow\nnatural light to penetrate farther into the structure and create transparency\nbetween spaces, glass was used throughout the interior as well \u2014 including for the\nstairway enclosures that had to meet 2-hour fire-rated code requirements. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Because\nstairway enclosures are means of egress, Section 1023.2 in the 2018 and 2021\nIBC states that \u201cinterior exit stairway and ramp enclosures must have a fire\nresistance rating of not less than 2 hours when connecting four stories or more\nand not less than 1 hour where connecting less than four stories.\u201d"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Having a\nfire resistance rating means the assembly passes ASTM E-119 or UL 263, the fire\nresistive wall standard. Building materials in this category can block smoke\nand flames and limit the passage of radiant heat to safe levels to allow the\nsafe egress of building occupants during a fire. Traditionally, building\nmaterials that meet ASTM E-119\/UL 263 have been opaque \u2014 Sheetrock, gypsum, or\nmasonry. This meant that stairway\nenclosures were typically dark, cold, and unappealing for everyday use. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"This is\nnot the case for Purdue. BSA specified Safti First\u2019s SuperLite II-XL 120 in GPX\nArchitectural Series Framing for the 2-hour glass walls and SuperLite II-XL 90\nin GPX Builders Series Temperature Rise for the 90-minute doors to add vision\nand transparency to Stairs 1 and 2 from the basement level all the way to the\nfifth floor."]]],[1,"p",[]],[10,1],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"\u0022One of the primary reasons we chose the product was to\ncreate transparency for safety and security,\u0022 said Geoff Lisle, principal\nwith BSA. \u0022The natural light coming into the area allows visibility\nin stairwells and lets you see what\u0027s going on.\u0022"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Chelsea Carpenter, architectural lead for BSA, added, \u201cAt\nthe same time, we wanted to create openness and make the stairs inviting. The stairs\nare busy, so it increases the energy and level of activity of the building\nsince you can see it from the outside. Even at night, it glows and creates a\nsynergy in the space.\u0022"]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"Safti First\u2019s project management and production teams worked\nclosely with Central Indiana Glass, the contract glazier for this project. Because\nthis was a fast-moving project, Safti First ensured that the submittals were\ndone on time and that there were no delays in manufacturing. All the products\nwere manufactured and shipped from Safti First\u2019s "],[0,[5],1,"highly"],[0,[6],1," "],[0,[5],1,"automated manufacturing\nfacilities"],[0,[],0," in Merced, California. "]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"For more information, visit "],[0,[7],1,"https:"],[0,[8],1,"\/"],[0,[7],1,"\/safti.com\/"],[0,[],0,"."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[0],1,"AIA does not sponsor or endorse any enterprise, whether public or\nprivate, operated for profit. Further, no AIA officer, director, committee\nmember, or employee, or any of its component organizations in his or her\nofficial capacity, is permitted to approve, sponsor, endorse, or do anything\nthat may be deemed or construed to be an approval, sponsorship, or endorsement\nof any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using,\ndistributing, or dealing in any material or product."]]],[1,"p",[[0,[],0,"#\n# #"]]],[1,"p",[]],[1,"p",[]]]}