Lately, we’ve seen some changes in door glazing. For years, doors had tempered glass (for safety) or wire glass (for preserving the integrity of the glass in fire separations). The problem with wire glass, is well, the wire. The wire actually weakens the glass from impact, but until recently had been the only glass that would pass fire testing. The wire preserves the fire resistance.
Notice the shards in this picture--tempered glass becomes little cubes when broken. Add the broken wires and this can be dangerous.
The 2003 version of IBC allowed wire glass for applications requiring fire-resistant glazing in all occupancies except Group E educational. The revision for 2006 deleted references to wire glass altogether, passively prohibiting wire glass. This introduced the requirement for ceramic glazing in doors and sidelites.
Enter a new player… at least one I’m introducing. By no means am I saying this is available–merely thinking out loud. See this Youtube video. Apparently, the glass was developed nearly fifty years ago, but there wasn’t demand for the product. Corning is seeing applications for TV’s, cell phones, and other consumer electronics. What about doors? Surely not as glamorous, but perhaps worth exploring nontheless.
Doors & Door Hardware 