Introduction
Schools are public buildings with unique performance requirements because of the multiple functions they are used for in a community. First and foremost, they are institutions of learning that are mandated by society to be safe and secure. Schools also function as gathering locations for civic, sports and entertainment events. Natural light exposure and reduced noise have been documented to aid in learning efficiency. Therefore, as the primary function of a school is learning, a high level of glass use is seen in the design of these facilities.
Facades as well as internal doors, walls, viewing areas and partitions are designed in the planning of schools, to use glass extensively. All glazed areas need to be designed to avoid risk of injury in case of glass breakage. With a high level of child activity, especially around playgrounds and gymnasiums, special attention needs to be considered for the post breakage characteristics of glazing. Security against intrusion of the facility can be enhanced with penetration resistant glazing. Higher levels of security resistant glazing such as ballistic or blast resistance can also be designed into educational facilities. Acoustic insulation of the façade and between the different parts of the buildings is important for internal comfort and optimization of learning efficiency. The use of colored glass for segmenting functional areas of schools and universities is also evolving as a desired design norm. It provides an easy mechanism for wayfinding within the school and around the university campus.
Which products fit in?
Eastman has experience with multiple interlayer products being used in the design of the glazing for schools:
- Saflex Clear, the conventional PVB interlayer can be used for:
- Safety: in case of glass breakage from human or accidental impact, the shards of broken glass will remain adhered to the interlayer providing a reduction in cutting or piercing injuries. With properly glazed laminated glass in a framing system, fall through protection may also be provided.
- Storms: laminated glass with adequate interlayer thickness is capable of thwarting wind-borne debris from penetrating the façade and subsequently allowing destructive internal pressurization in severe windstorms such as tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricanes. The ability of the interlayer to contain the glass shards after breakage has been demonstrated to contribute to enhanced glass retention during seismic activities as well.
- Security: a laminated glass configuration can be incorporated into a system to provide a sufficient level of protection against man-made intentional attacks, including vandalism and burglary, explosion resistance and ballistic assault.
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Saflex Acoustic is an engineered tri-layer interlayer that provides enhanced sound damping between 1000 – 4000 Hertz (Hz) as compared to conventional PVB interlayer. The enhanced performance may allow the glazing construction to be designed using less air space and/or thinner glass to achieve the same sound reduction rating versus conventional and historic practices.
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Saflex Solar, a solar absorbing PVB interlayer, brings improved solar control by reducing solar heat gain versus clear and conventional laminated glass without coatings. Saflex Solar can also be incorporated into single unit laminated glass with low-emissivity hard coatings or into insulating glass units (IGU) with or without low-emissivity glasses.
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Vanceva® Earth Tones collection and Vanceva Colors interlayers bring forth the possibility of using a large range of color in a façade or as interior glazing without having to increase glass thickness to achieve color intensity, be delayed waiting for colored glass campaigns or ordering large quantities of custom colored glass. Both products provide the flexibility to customize or modify and improve the aesthetic of the façade.
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Saflex Structural PVB interlayer can be used in laminated glass configurations targeted for floors, stairs, fins, balustrades, guards and canopies.
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Saflex High Protection (HP) and Saflex Storm interlayers can be used when enhanced protection from tropical cyclones, typhoons and hurricane force winds with windborne debris are needed.
The various types of Saflex and Vanceva interlayers mentioned above can be combined between two pieces of glass or in the same glazing configuration to improve the overall performance of the glazing system and contribute to the optimum performance of the school.
