Whether breathing new life into older properties, rescuing a period building from ruin or simply renovating a building that has fallen into disrepair, the balance of aesthetics and the modern safety requirements of today’s building regulations often presents a challenge.

As the world’s leading independent manufacturer of fire resistant safety glass, one of Pyroguard’s primary objectives is to enable architects, specifiers and installers achieve their vision of safe and aesthetically beautiful living and working spaces.

While many older buildings met the safety requirements of their time with the familiar yet visually unappealing criss-cross of embedded wired glass, Pyroguard now offers the widest range of fire safety glass solutions on the market, helping to ensure modern building regulations are met and marry fire compliance with design aesthetics.

Marr College: A modern solution for a historic building

Marr College in Troon, Scotland, is a key example of the marriage between safety and design. Founded in 1935 and Category B listed, the refurbishment and development needed to strike a balance between allowing the building to become more suited to modern demands and maintaining its much-loved heritage.

Providing unrivalled quality and safety features, as well as being cuttable and easy to process, Pyroguard Rapide and Pyroguard Rapide Plus were selected for the project. Protecting against flames, smoke and radiant heat, the glazing offered the advantage of providing Marr College with additional radiant heat control and greater fire protection, while staying true to the aesthetics of its original design.

Keith Milne, Design Manager at Martec Engineering, who worked on the project, said: “We worked hand in hand with Pyroguard throughout the whole project, ensuring the correct specification and design of products to provide the safety and security that this building required. The guidance from the technical team at Pyroguard was invaluable, particularly in regards to creating a custom detail for the fire protection within the existing timber windows and doors.

“A key requirement of our steel secondary glazing fire screens, was for them to fade into the background and not detract from the character of the building. This was achieved with our manufacture of high quality steel frames with minimal sight lines and Pyroguard’s fire-rated safety glass.”

High-classification fire protection

A key feature of the Marr College project, Pyroguard Rapide and Pyroguard Rapide Plus offer high-classification fire protection for up to 60 minutes, thanks to active intumescent interlayers. The result is the creation of a space which is light, airy and elegant, providing all the necessary safety protection in the event of a fire without impacting on the architectural language of the original building.

Budget and time critical projects

Crucially for more budget-critical projects, Pyroguard Rapide 7mm (EW classification) is available in stock sheets which can be hand cut. With no need for specialist cutting tools or edge taping, along with excellent flatness tolerances, the range offers fast, simple installation, improving efficiency without compromising on either safety or design. Where a higher specification is required, Pyroguard Rapide (EI classification) offers additional protection to both people and property, as well as improved impact protection.

Ideal for refurbishment and retrofit projects, Pyroguard Rapide provides water resistance and UV stability, making the range suitable for both internal and external applications. Having been tested and certified for use in a wide range of framing applications, including timber, steel and aluminium profiles, specifiers can be confident in the fire protection of the Pyroguard Rapide range, while its versatility makes it a practical choice for any refurbishment.

All Pyroguard cuttable products are manufactured, tested and supplied from one single source in the UK, making them readily available either immediately or on short lead times via the company’s Nationwide network of approved and licenced stockists.

For more information, visit https://www.pyroguard.eu/en/