Can fire-rated and conventional curtain wall systems match?>
Narrow-profile, fire-rated steel frames can accommodate cover caps to help achieve a cohesive design aesthetic. These caps can be wrapped with a real wood veneer to create the look of a wood fire-rated frame. The following will explain how wood fire-rated frames can be used within the built environment.
Architects are drawn to the beauty and warmth of wood frames, but their options have been limited for interior glazing applications with stringent fire- and life-safety performance criteria. Many fire-rated framing systems serve as a barrier to radiant and conductive heat transfer. However, none have been able to provide this level of performance while enabling a true timber aesthetic and the narrow profiles of non-rated framing systems.
The Fireframes TimberLine® Series sidelines this design challenge, bringing the beautiful look of slender, wood frames to interior areas requiring fire resistance. The wood fire-rated framing system is built with a high-strength steel sub-frame and real-wood veneered metal cover cap. This allows the system to capture the allure of wood while serving as a barrier to radiant and conductive heat transfer. For enhanced design flexibility, cover caps are available in several wood species, including white maple, cherry, fir and oak.
Fire doors can be one of the more difficult parts of a fire-rated assembly to specify. They often need to meet both accessibility and building code requirements while supporting the overall design of the built environment. They also have multiple components that need to be fire-rated for the opening assembly to be code-compliant.
Although framing systems have traditionally been limited to metal, they can be specified with a real wood veneered metal cover cap. Just like for windows and curtain wall assemblies, cover caps wrapped with real wood veneer can give the appearance of a wood fire-rated frame to a storefront or window connected to a door system. This can help facilitate a code-compliant design that incorporates the deep warmth of wood. The door jambs and doors themselves can be finished in a color that provides a close match to these wood fire-rated frames.
For example, the design studio behind La Crema Estate at Saralee's Vineyard used multiple wood fire-rated framing systems to complement the extensive wood framing and hardwood flooring used throughout the surrounding space. While the door itself is powder coated to match the rich warmth of the tasting room, the glazing assemblies surrounding the door feature Fireframes TimberLine® Series fire-rated frames with a Domestic White Oak wood veneer.
