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Tim Nass, vice president of national sales for Safti First, was on-hand during a live press conference to talk about the company’s new products, including SuperLite II-XLB.
SAFTI FIRST held a press conference yesterday during GlassCon Global VE-Glass Expo VE for members of the press and attendees who wanted to learn more about fire-rated trends and developments. The company is a Platinum Partner for the event. Tim Nass, vice president of national sales, was on-hand to talk about the company’s new products, including SuperLite II-XLB, which is appropriate for 60- and 120-minute applications on both the interior and exterior of a building. The 60-minute version is 1-7/8 inch overall and tested to 125 by 80 inches for 10,000 square inches of clear view. The 120-minute version is 2-1/2 inches overall and tested to 133 by 60 inches for 7,980 square inches of clear view.
The architectural community wants to use massive lites of glass to enhance a space, he said.
When asked where larger fire-rated glass sizes are used most, Nass responded that while it is a code-driven product, there is a push to use it more on the exterior, as that’s where architects want to see the large, uninterrupted spans of glass. He also talked about other popular and common applications. “It is used a lot in stairwells and elevator enclosures as it encourages natural daylighting,” he said, adding that butt-glazing is another trend “as it creates another popular aesthetic. It’s all about how much you can eliminate the frame … It’s the frameless aesthetics that architects like.”
One attendee asked if fire-rated glass can be integrated with switchable films/dynamic glass and Nass said this is definitely happening. In fact, SAFTI FIRST recently worked on a hospital project in Chicago.
“We are seeing a lot of electrochromic glass and our products are being incorporated [into that],” he added.
The virtual event continues through today and you can still register at www.glassexpove.com. While there, view the full schedule of events, including seminars and exhibit hall hours.
