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The Safety and Durability of Fire Rated Glass Block

Attractive, durable, energy-efficient, and capable of illuminating any space, fire rated glass block is endowed with inherent fire-resistant properties. In many fire-safe buildings, fire rated glass block structural components provide an additional level of safety that wood and drywall cannot. Whether for interior walls, stairwells, flooring, or exterior cladding and windows, structural fire rated glass block adds pleasing aesthetics and natural light while providing an added measure of fire protection.

The Finishing Touch on Your Glass Block Project

Glass block options provide endless versatility for creating everything from partition walls to pet kennels and even accent features like desks. With a wide range of patterns, shapes, and finishes available, architects and designers can bring virtually any vision to life. For projects like a glass block accent wall, the finishing touches are just as important. Glass block caps offer a stylish solution, ensuring that the ends of glass block walls are as visually appealing as the design itself, adding both function and beauty to your space.  

Installing Glass Block in Fort Worth's Pioneer Tower

Pioneer Tower

We see a wide variety of glass block projects. We’ll often have projects where we install sets of glass block windows that not only enhance the fashion of a building, but also the safety. We renovate sidewalk vault panels to install LED lighting underneath, providing pedestrians with a beautiful lighting to walk on. We’ve made structures almost entirely built from 4x8x3 Seves Vistabrik, enclosed with glass roofing. There are many different ways to use glass to enhance your facilities.

Our latest project is another example. In their ambitious efforts to transform their structure from great to gorgeous, we’re renovating the Pioneer Tower in Fort Worth, Texas, adding 15 flights of exterior glass block to be used on all four sides of the historic building. Behind it will be LED lighting, ready to light the Texas sky.

They do it big in Texas.

Incorporating Glass Block + Structural Glass Outdoors

Can glass blocks be used outside? Absolutely! Glass blocks offer a stylish and functional solution for outdoor projects, including features like a glass block column light to enhance both aesthetics and ambiance. As warmer months approach, homeowners and builders are turning their attention to creating outdoor spaces that maximize natural light while maintaining privacy. From small balconies to expansive backyards, incorporating glass blocks into your design not only elevates the space but also encourages more time spent outdoors, promoting personal well-being and health benefits.

Bringing Beauty and Durability to Transportation Stations

A study from the American Public Transportation Association reports that public transportation ridership has increased by 30% in recent years. Whether on a train, bus or ferry, Americans took 2.5 billion trips on public transportation in the third quarter of 2018 alone.

The Advantages of Letting the Light Shine Through in Offices

As the demands of business change, so do office building designs. Decades ago, companies virtually “corralled” their office workers into cubicles and offices with opaque walls to deter interruption and distraction.  Many have started to move away from standard cubicle designs to allow for a more open concept work environment.  Natural light and open environments have proven to be more productive environments that promote productivity and creativity in the office.  With the adaptations of glass block over through the decades, offices can create "private" offices by utilizing a contemporary glass block wall design. 

Protect Yourself and Others with Quality Safety Storm Shelters

The severity of hurricanes and tornadoes in North America in recent years seems to have increased. Although storms vary in number, size, and intensity, continuing construction is occupying more land surface and raising the likelihood of a direct hit on a portion of the population.

Glass Block, The Ideal Windscreen and Rainscreen

As a building material, glass block is durable, sustainable, fireproof, and an excellent insulator. The material’s transparent nature offers superior energy efficiency while admitting light and muffling most of the sound from outside. By itself, as the primary cladding for new construction, glass block’s beauty and functionality have contributed to its growth as an essential building component throughout the world.

You may be asking yourself, can glass blocks be used outside? Because of its unique inherent qualities, glass block is also important in other, less traditional applications for construction.  One unique application has been the implementation of glass block is outdoor wind or rainscreens.  This glass block application has proven an effective solution for protecting buildings from driving rain and accumulated moisture.  Glass block is now offered in multiple different patterns, styles, and shapes, making it the perfect customizable glass component to add to any design. 

Impact-Proof Glass for Greater Safety and Security in Schools

As the debate over safety and security in schools continues and the search for solutions continues, school officials and construction engineers are looking for answers to reconfigure access, redesign interior floorplans, and introduce measures to protect students from armed intrusion. Since the Columbine attacks in Colorado in 1999, over 275 school shootings have been reported. While some of these incidents were accidental gun discharges, events such as Sandy Hook Elementary (CT), Parkland (FL), Red Lake (MN), and so many more have left 250 students and teachers dead and many more wounded.

It is no secret that vandals tend to attempt to break into homes and businesses through basement windows. Usually, these are less conspicuous locations on the building, and the windows are at “ground level,” which makes them far more accessible to break and enter. Furthermore, owners may not notice a broken basement window has been damaged as quickly as other windows in the building.