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Advertising supplement provided by Solutia Inc. and Viracon

Risk assessment

When considering protection for a building, the owners and architects can work with structural engineers and blast consultants to determine which threats they are trying to protect against. Terrorist threats range from large truck bombs to mid-size car bombs to small package or letter bombs, which can originate from inside or outside the building.

Not all laminated glass is the same, and the same glass configuration may not meet every facility’s needs. For an installation where a blast hazard is suspected, a risk assessment of the facility should be completed prior to installation of any product. The risk assessment will encompass many areas that go beyond glazing, such as progressive collapse and site design.

To start, every project is unique. There is no industry standard, and the level of protection is determined by the building owner. After a risk assessment has been performed, the very difficult decision to balance the amount of acceptable risk with the amount of desired protection must be made. From a glazing standpoint, several key items need to be understood:

1. Amount of glass desired in structure
2. Structural capacity of the glass (wind and/or snow load)
3. Blast load determination
4. Acceptable hazard level
5. Stand off distance
6. Life cycle of glazing product
7. Solar control needs and aesthetic desire

The trend toward increased amounts of glass in buildings coupled with the desire for added protection is not mutually exclusive. The developed glazing and framing techniques, along with structural and blast performance and long life cycle of laminated glass with a PVB interlayer, have given designers and engineers the capability to use more glass in buildings. Their desired or targeted protection levels can be established without sacrificing the comforting environment while still portraying the desired image.