The Benefits of Installing Security Window Film on Your Office Building
Shatter resistant window
films are designed to increase the shatter resistance of glass, keeping the
glass in place during catastrophic events. They are similar to solar control
window films in that they are polyester laminates and but are often used in
buildings where bomb blast mitigation may be necessary or where dangerous foul
weather events are frequently occur.
The big difference
between solar control and security window films is that the security films –
also known as fragment retention and shatter resistance window films - are
usually thicker. They are offered in thicknesses ranging from 4 to 21 mils and
use a heavier and more aggressive adhesive system. The added thickness and
adhesive system are what make security films work so well in holding glass
windows in place during catastrophic events. Depending on fragment retention
performance and budget constraints, shatter-resistant window protection can be
installed on the glass only - known as a daylight application – or physically
attached to the window frame, known as attached systems.
Fragment window films
are the result of a sophisticated manufacturing process in which the finest raw
materials and state-of-the-art technology is used for the most effective
shatter-resistant window protection.
Security films are
available in clear or a variety of tinted, solar-reflective versions. This is
significant because an added benefit of installing security window films with a
solar control component gives you the benefit of increased glass strength,
conserves energy make the building more comfortable.
The energy savings
gained by installing this combination film can give you a payback on your
investment that eventually will cover the cost of the installation. Considering the cost ramifications from a catastrophic
event in which a building’s glass is blown out, injuring and possibly killing
building tenants, the cost of security window film in minimal.
While solar control
films have been around since the 1970s, during the country’s first energy
crisis, security window films came much later. The pivotal moment came on April 15, 1995 when
a bomb planted by Timothy McVeigh in a rental truck detonated in front of the
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The bomb blast
killed 168 people and injured 680.
A number of those killed
and many of the injured were the result of flying glass shards from the federal
building and buildings located blocks away. As a result of this horrific
incident, film companies began developing security films that could hold the
glass in place during such events.
Since the early days,
security window films have improved significantly. And their use is widespread,
from federal and state buildings, to major corporate structures, to hospitals,
airports, convention centers, museums and schools.
Some of the country’s most
well-known buildings are protected with security window films. They include the
U.S. Capitol, all the U.S. House of Representative and Library of Congress
buildings, Grand Central Terminal and
the Merril Lynch towers in New York City, O’Hare International and
Seattle-Tacoma International airports, the United Nations, the Yale University
library, the Washington and Houston convention centers, the Willis [former
Sears] Tower, and the Philadelphia and Denver mints.
The most important thing
for building owners, construction companies and architects to know if they are
considering having security window films as part of their project: Make sure
you hire an experienced and reputable fragment retention window film installer.
This is critical to the success of your
project.
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