Łukasz Wesołowski

The process of redeveloping historical city centres and adjusting them to the requirements of the contemporary law and new utilitarian functions is of continuous character. Heritage protection brings along responsibility for design decisions concerning the choice of solutions so that they would serve the owners of objects, their users and mankind in general. More and more frequently, we encounter realizations which apply the latest achievements in the field of building technologies and materials, such as glazing or glass constructions. They make it possible to limit the mechanical impact on a protected object making a full barrier to the atmospheric conditions, pollutions and many other threats with guaranteed insight and the access of sunlight. Architectural details and additional elements are reduced, too, therefore the visual influence of such solutions on the existing tissue is weakened. In this article, issues related to the possibilities of applying glass divisions and elements in such realizations are exemplified by selected objects located in Rome.

While analysing the available systems of glass curtain walls one can identify potential problems with their use as partitions with fire resistance. In most cases the metal support structure is made of aluminium. Due to its adhesive and separating interlayer made of plastic materials susceptible to the influence of temperature laminated glass, it does not work well in fire prevention. Manufacturers have products with the required parameters to use in fire partitions and qualified in terms of EI. Currently there are post and transom solutions available on the market which possess a certificate to use the whole system in EI60 fire rating. Internal spaces of posts and transoms in metal support structures are equipped with a filling: a reinforcement made of aluminium. Posts, transoms and thermal strips connecting the clamp strip with a support frame and faying surfaces integrating metal structure are subjected to special protection and safeguarding with thermo-expandable material. Additional protection allows for load-bearing parameters of up to one hour on the weakest link in the system. Producers of glass attest their products in classes from E15 to EI 180, so integrity and fire insulation lies within the aluminium support structure in the whole post and transom glass curtain wall system.The analysis of issues related to the use of glass curtain walls in residential buildings will determine the pattern of wall technology selection to the specific fire prevention requirements