defender Products and solutions for glass parapets

RESIDENTIAL - PUBLIC - BUILDING PERFORMANCE P_36 INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL APPROVALS, PERFORMANCE AND VALIDATIONS P_88

Allgemeines bauaufsichtliches Prüfzeugnis

Tested at the CSTB Test Report CAR-19-268

WHAT IS A PARAPET? “A fall prevention barrier, which can forestall a hazard for all subjects making use of both accessible and neighbouring areas to be protected.” This is the final goal of installing a parapet. In every place that is accessible to people for ordinary use, when the height difference requires the risk of a fall from heights to be prevented with either a barrier or a protective system. For glass parapets, this general need is adapted to comply with the different requirements of various countries. The differences can be developed both with regulatory sections, limiting, for instance,...

WHY CHOOSE A GLASS PARAPET? ✔ An aesthetic solution for a basic safety requirement. ✔ Contributes to improve acoustic comfort. ✔ Increases the brightness of areas. ✔ The small thickness allows to increase walkable space. ✔ It is neither climbing nor scalable. ✔ Cannot be penetrated by small objects. ✔ Can be fitted with either an aesthetic or functional handrail. ✔ Can be combined with highly impressive lighting solutions. ✔ Low maintenance costs only needing ordinary cleaning. ✔ Complies with all regulatory

THE PRIMARY REQUISITE: PROTECTION AGAINST FALLS FROM HEIGHTS It is not easy to identify a unique value in each country’s Regulations concerning what should be considered a height difference for “falls from heights”. It is generally accepted that the reference is a height difference of more than 1 metre between the walkable surface on top and the lower level. When it is not necessary to guarantee protection against “falls from heights”, regulatory requirements are always much less demanding than for parapets, both in terms of safety evaluation and of performance requirements. This can be the case,...

PROTECTIVE HEIGHT, IT IS NEITHER CLIMBING NOR SCALABLE The safety requirements of parapets contain regulatory provisions in terms of dimensions, starting with: minimum height. Generally and for most countries, the minimum protective height is 100 cm. However, it is no rare event that regulations, local provisions or particular situations make it mandatory to comply with more limitations: a height of 110 cm and, at times, even of 120 cm is required. In the case of flights of stairs, the protective height is measured starting from the external corner of the tread, with a minimum height of 90 cm....

DEFENDER The parapet must be uncrossable. This essential requirement ensures safe use for children, and limits the possibility of large items falling through the protective barrier. Hence, at any point, the parapet must be able to prevent the passage of a sphere with 10 cm diameter. <10 cm <10 cm <10 cm Parapets must not be scalable. It is currently evident that many parapets of various types do not meet this provision, as they are also made of horizontal elements, easily used as a handhold. Glass parapets do not only prevent this hazard at the very root, but they also ensure transparency, and...

FEATURES OF THE GLASS PANES For glass parapets, many European Regulations prescribe using laminated safety glass defined by standard ISO 12543 and classified 1B1 according to standard EN 12600. This is so because, in case of breakage, the insert (often called “plastic”) can withhold the glass fragments, limit the dimensions of the opening, offer residual resistance and reduce the risk of injuries. Caution: standard EN 12600 classifies the panels with a test to be performed on glass samples framed on the four sides and presenting standard dimensions. The use of Class 1B1 glass does not suffice...

DEFENDER Laminated glass with rigid inserts can withstand exposure to higher loads or, maintaining the same resistance, have a reduced thickness without impairing safety. Rigid “structural” insert Standard insert Caution: the rigidity of inserts is influenced by temperature: this effect can be more or less significant, depending on the chemical nature of a specific insert and on its constituent molecular properties. To ensure a correct design solution, it is necessary to check that the plastic can be considered rigid at the panel’s temperature of use. Some problems related to the use of laminated...

COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS, NOT “CERTIFICATION” The chain of responsibilities... A glass parapet can be declared compliant with regulatory requirements directly by the installer, who will issue a “Professional Installation Declaration”, accepting responsibility for correct assembly and supplies of materials compliant with the technical specifications of the state qualified designer, who defines and signs the project-related decisions as consistent with said requirements. A system provided with test reports or calculation reports is capable of meeting the needs of both designers and installers,...

A Product Certification would, instead, presuppose the existence of a Harmonised Standard and the independent assessment of an accredited entity that, for all effects and purposes, would accept the responsibility of evaluating the actual SYSTEM correspondence with parameters established by Regulations and, therefore, its suitability for the intended use. Failing a Harmonised Standard, European countries, instead, continue to use national standards to regulate the project, types and characteristics of glass parapets. In this context, it is essential to understand that it is incorrect to speak...

REGULATORY REFERENCES The following is the list of reference Laws, Regulations and Technical Documents concerning the dimensions and inspection of glass parapets. EUROPEAN REGULATIONS (valid for all EC countries) CPR 305 - Regulation on product construction EN 12150 - Heat-tempered sodium calcium silicate safety glass EN 12543 - Laminated glass and laminated safety glass EN 12600 - Pendulum test, impact test and classification for flat glass EN 13200 - Observation areas for spectators EN 14179 - Heat-tempered safety glass subjected to the “heat soak test” EN 16612 - Calculation methods for the...