Shopping for Fire Doors.

One mall's solution for safety and aesthetics

WHEN EN YOU VISIT A SHOPPING CENTER IN THE SEATTLE AREA, DECIDING WHERE to park is almost as important as deciding where to shop. Covered spaces are the most sought-after, since everyone wants to avoid the infamous rain of the Pacific Northwest. For this reason, when the owners of the Bellevue Square Shopping Center embarked on a 110,000 square foot expansion called The Corner, they knew they needed to add another covered parking garage to their existing lots. Known for its high-end retail stores, Bellevue Square attracts clientele that appreciate the added comfort and convenience of staying dry when they're carrying their purchases to the car.

Located just eight miles east of Seattle, Bellevue Square features over 200 of the nation's finest stores and local boutiques and draws 16 million visitors a year. It is considered to be the premier shopping destination in the Northwest and one of the best shopping centers in the nation.

Between the new multi-level parking facility and the mall are 10 pairs of two-lite/leaf, 90-minute fire-rated doors, many of which open directly into retail stores. Typically, 90-minute ratings would conjure up images of steel doors, incorporating single small vision lites with wired glass. Yet such an option was not considered a viable choice for the upscale retail environment.

On a practical level, the designers knew that the heavily trafficked areas would require good visibility. With people, strollers and packages moving through the doors in both directions, it would be hazardous to have solid doors limiting the ability to see who (or what) might be on the other side. What's more, from an aesthetic standpoint, metal doors would not present an appropriately sophisticated image for entrance into the mall.

Wired glass was out, too. It couldn't provide the level of impact safety that was necessary, and the wires would create an undesirable "institutional" appearance. The preferred look was clear glass. But with a 90-minute (non-temperature rise) fire rating and high impact safety requirements, would that even be an option?

Fortunately, the options available in fire-rated doors have increased dramatically in recent years. It is now possible to even have full-lite fire-rated doors, in both barrier to heat and non-barrier to heat applications.

Sclater Partners Architects, P.C., who designed the addition and garage for the mail, decided to go with a material that is actually a fire-rated glass ceramic. This product met all of their qualifications: It offered a 90-minute fire rating for non-temperature rise doors, as well as a high impact safety rating. What's more, the glass ceramic could be installed in large sizes (up to 1,296 square inches per lite in 90-minute doors), which made it a good candidate to offer the clear visibility that was critical to the project.

The glass in the mall's doors is framed by hollow metal steel from Titan Metal. Standard surface mounted exit devices (panic bars) allow for rapid and easy departure.

"We had very specific requirements for these fire doors," stated project architect Craig Kasman, AIA. "The glass ceramic enabled us to meet our objectives for safety, visibility and design, which in turn created a successful project for the owner, architect and building official."