The retail sector is one area of construction that has installed aluminium doors, windows and high rise glazing. Large shopping centres, retail parks, leisure outlets and other public places use aluminium to create high performance and reliable doors and windows that are used by large volumes of people.
The Golden Hall Retail Park in Athens is one example of a building with in-built protection of its glass and aluminium windows and doors.
The retail sector has therefore been subjected to many changes in recent years as shopping habits and lifestyles change.
Commercial buildings housing large numbers of people also need protection
It is a fact of life that public places such as retail parks and shopping centres the world over can be targeted by deliberate acts such as terrorist attacks or serious accidents like fire. One recently reported story was Al-Shabaab calling for attacks on Oxford Street Stores and the Westfield Shopping Centres in London. Although the nature of these attacks cannot be predicted, aluminium glazing systems can provide some protection.
Fire Rated and Bomb Blast protection is available in commercial aluminium systems.
For a number of years now, leading aluminium systems companies have created a range of sections designed to withstand fire or bomb blasts. SAPA Building Systems, Schuco and others have all designed bespoke glazing systems that provide protection from various types of attack in buildings that may be targeted in this way.
Typical protection includes glass that remains intact reducing the risk of injury and systems that reduce the risk of injury from metal debris caused by explosions.
What kind of protection can modern glazing systems offer?
Blast Resistant Curtain walling is designed to protect building occupiers and the public. But it is not just intentional attacks these types of systems protect from but also accidents such as buildings that house explosion equipment, oil, gas and chemicals.
Fire Resistant Doors and Screens. These are designed to offer a level of timed fire protection for the public and building occupiers. The Buncefield depot explosion of recent years is one example. Here, these systems offer a line of defence in the event of a fire or explosion and these sophisticated systems really can make a huge difference in protecting people and importantly giving them the valuable time needed to exit a building in an emergency.
Blast Resistant Windows. It can be hard to differentiate between a normal window and a blast resistant window. But these types of high performance protection systems are installed in many commercial buildings all over the world where aesthetically pleasing windows are required yet with inbuilt protection that offers valuable safety when the unexpected occurs.
All commercial protection systems are manufactured and installed under very strict guidelines. There are no corners cut in the manufacturing and installation of these types of exceptional door, window and facade glazing systems.
All are designed to provide different levels of protection in possible high risk buildings and importantly offer all of the specifications to protect our buildings and the many people that occupy them.
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