Fire safety has a habit of creating walls.
Sometimes literally.
You need to separate two internal spaces. You need the required level of fire resistance. But you also need natural light, visibility between rooms, a finish that actually works with the building and, perhaps, some acoustic privacy too.
Putting up another solid partition may technically divide the space. It can also make a corridor darker, a reception area more enclosed, or a school, healthcare or commercial environment feel considerably less open.
That is exactly the problem our new fire-rated timber screens are designed to solve.
Fire separation does not have to mean shutting everything off
A fire-rated glazed timber screen creates a fixed glazed division between internal spaces while allowing light and visibility to pass through.
Premier Fire Doors' made-to-order timber screens are available in FD30 and FD60 configurations, combining compatible timber profiles with fire-rated glazing to provide 30 or 60 minutes of fire resistance, depending on the specification.
In other words:
You can create separation without making the space feel completely separated.
That makes timber fire screens particularly useful in places such as:
- Schools and educational buildings
- Hospitals and healthcare environments
- Offices and commercial buildings
- Leisure facilities
- Corridors and circulation areas
- Reception spaces
- Internal glazed partitions
- Areas where a glazed screen needs to work alongside a fire doorset
Problem #1: "We need a fire-rated partition, but we don't want to lose all the natural light."
This is probably the most obvious one.
A solid fire-resisting wall can do its job brilliantly and still leave the room on the other side wondering what happened to the sun.
Where the project specification permits fire-rated glazing, a glazed fire screen can maintain visual connection and borrowed light between internal spaces while forming part of the required fire-resisting separation.
There is an important caveat here.
Fire-rated glass is not simply ordinary glass with a more impressive name. The glass, frame, beads, seals, fixings and surrounding construction have to work as a compatible fire-resisting system. Fire safety guidance similarly treats fire-resistant glazing as an assembly rather than a collection of interchangeable components.
Which brings us neatly to the next problem.
Problem #2: "The opening isn't a standard size."
Buildings are remarkably good at refusing to have convenient dimensions.
Refurbishments, existing openings, unusual layouts and architectural designs often mean that an off-the-shelf screen simply is not going to fit.
Our bespoke fire-rated timber screens are made to order, allowing the dimensions and screen layout to be configured around the requirements of the project.
Timber profiles are available in 100mm, 150mm and 220mm widths, with bespoke screen layouts available. Finish options currently include Beech Primed, Sapele Primed and White Oak, subject to the required fire rating.
So instead of designing the opening around the product, we can look at specifying the screen around the opening.
Much more civilised.
Problem #3: "We need visibility... but not necessarily that much visibility."
Clear glazing is not the answer to every room.
Healthcare environments may need discretion. Offices may want separation between meeting spaces. Some projects need impact, acoustic or privacy considerations alongside the fire requirement.
That is why the screens can be supplied with a variety of fire-rated glazing options, including:
- Clear glazing
- Obscured glazing
- Wired glazing
- Laminated glazing
- Acoustic glazing
- Single-glazed options
- Double-glazed insulated units
Selected specifications can also provide acoustic performance of up to 51 dB, depending on the configuration.
Because sometimes the problem is not only what you can see through a wall.
It's what you can hear through it.
Problem #4: "There's a door in the middle of it."
Good news. We thought of that too.
Matching pre-assembled fire doorsets can be supplied alongside the timber screen to create a coordinated screen and entrance system.
That can be particularly useful where the project needs a glazed partition surrounding an access point, rather than treating the screen and door as two completely separate specifications.
The result is a much more coordinated approach to the opening, both visually and technically.
FD30 or FD60 timber screen: which do you need?
This is where we recommend resisting the temptation to choose a rating simply because one number is bigger.
The required fire resistance depends on the building, location of the screen, surrounding construction and the project's fire strategy.
Approved Document B includes specific requirements and limitations for fire-resisting glazed elements depending on where they are used. For example, requirements can differ depending on whether glazing forms part of a compartment wall, protected shaft or another fire-resisting enclosure.
Our screens are available in FD30 and FD60 configurations, but the right timber, glazing and overall system specification needs to match the actual requirement.
If you're unsure, send us the project details rather than playing a very expensive game of "that looks about right."
So, when should you consider a fire-rated timber screen?
If your specification sounds something like:
"We need to divide this space, maintain the fire strategy, keep the light, retain visibility, match the interior and somehow make it work with this opening..."
you are probably looking in the right place.
Our new fire-rated timber screens give contractors, facilities teams, specifiers and project managers another way to approach internal fire separation without automatically defaulting to a solid visual barrier.
Available with:
FD30 and FD60 fire-rated configurations
Bespoke sizes and screen layouts
Multiple timber finishes
Clear, obscured, wired, laminated and acoustic glazing options
Single and double-glazed options
Selected acoustic specifications up to 51 dB
Matching pre-assembled fire doorsets
Because sometimes you need a wall to behave like a wall in a fire.
It just doesn't have to look like one the rest of the time.
Need a Fire-Rated Timber Screen for Your Project?
Send us your dimensions, drawings, required fire rating and any glazing or acoustic requirements you already have.
If you are still working out the specification, our team can help you identify the appropriate solution based on your project requirements.