“Layton Consulting Fenestration Nerds” By Anton Van Dyk: How to Use Combustible Windows in Non-Combustible Construction”
For a few years now, some of you may have seen non-aluminum windows being installed in buildings over 6 stories in height and wondered how that was. Well, that is because combustible windows have always been allowed in the National Building Code in non-combustible construction but under specific criteria. To make this work, the windows needed sufficient fire separation and could only represent a certain area of the façade.
Fast forward to the 2020 NBC, which was released recently, and you can see that all of the combustible limitations put on fenestration have been removed, with the exception of contiguous fenestration systems. This change is one of the biggest changes in the code for fenestration in many years and will create new opportunities for window manufacturers to develop products for buildings that, in the past, they could not achieve due to the combustible nature of their material.
For manufacturers, this change is at a time when we are seeing a major shift in how zoning is controlled, with less authority being given to local municipalities and more to the Province. In BC, for example, single-family lots now have to accommodate up to 6 units, and there are minimum height restrictions on buildings that will be near transit hubs. Love it or hate it, this change in zoning will change what we build, and if your market has been single-family homes, it is time to prepare for more multi-family homes; and if your market was 6-storey multi-family homes, you could now start to prepare for over 6 stories.
What has not changed is NAFS and the requirement for a product to meet the NAFS requirements for a location and height and what happens when you go from 3 stories to 6 stories or 6 stories to 12 stories? The PG rating will increase. So, if your product performance goal used to be PG30, you might want to see what it takes for that same product to meet PG50. If your product only met Class LC, it might be time to see what it takes for it to meet Class CW. These higher-performance requirements are just a part of doing business in a higher-performance building.
Once Architects gain an understanding of this code change, the opportunities for PVC and/or Fiberglass windows in taller buildings will increase, creating new markets for window manufacturers to expand into. But like all opportunities, there are challenges.
At Layton Consulting, we have the knowledge and experience for what it takes to achieve goals like this. Let us help you streamline your product NAFS compliance strategy for the markets you plan to expand into. There is no need to do it alone.
If you want to learn more, feel free to reach out to me at anton@laytonconsulting.com or at 778-908-2811.