CLEARLY PROTECTIVE: GLAZING FOR LIFE SAFETY AT SEIDMAN CANCER CENTER

University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, OH, consolidates multiple patient care and treatment centers into a single 375,000 square-foot building. Since the new facility nearly triples the size of the existing hospital, it was important to foster collaboration between the different departments while keeping patient needs at the forefront of interior design, according to a project overview from Cannon Design. Access to natural light, patient privacy and clear wayfinding were key to the project vision.

The design team incorporated simple gateways, interior circulation paths and a building envelope providing views of downtown Cleveland and Lake Erie to meet project goals and create an environment of well-being. One consideration during this process was ensuring interior doors designated to provide fire protection by code supported clear wayfinding and light transfer. Solid doors made of materials such as steel can protect against the spread of fire. However, their opaque form limits the extent to which design professionals can provide patients and personnel with natural daylight and visibility between spaces.

One method for bridging fire safety and design conflicts in Seidman Cancer Center was to use full-lite, fire-rated glass doors and transoms from Technical Glass Products. TGP's FireLite Plus^® premium-grade ceramic glass in Fireframes^® Designer Series fire-rated doors allowed the design team to provide up to 90 minutes of fire protection for doors.

FireLite Plus premium-grade ceramic glass uses TGP's ultraHD® Technology to create a nearly distortion-free surface for clear viewing. It can also be lightly sandblasted and maintain its fire rating. This allowed Seidman Cancer Center to use FireLite Plus in doors requiring full visibility, as well as applications where it was desirable to obscure vision while still allowing in light.

FireLite Plus is a laminated glazing material listed by Underwriters Laboratories for use in doors, sidelites, transoms and borrowed lites. It is available with fire ratings up to three hours and is impact safety-rated to ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16CFR1201 standards (Category I and II).

Fireframes Designer Series fire-rated doors and frames feature narrow steel profiles that provide a sleek, modern alternative to traditional hollow metal steel frames. The modular system is available with ratings up to 90 minutes and can be used with the FireLite family of glass products.

Learn more about FireLite Plus^® fire-rated glass ceramic and Fireframes^® Designer Series fire-rated doors and frames