GB firm produces blastproof glass

Wrightstyle's blast-proof glass system undergoing testing. Photo supplied by manufacturer.

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UK company Wrightstyle Limited designs has produced a new blast proof curtain-walling system for high-rise towers and other glass-fronted buildings.

The system has been developed to reduce the possibility of injuries from flying and falling glass fragments following a blast, and works by bonding the glass to its steel framing support to absorb blast energy and prevent the glass from shattering.

Independent tests in the UK showed that the system was capable of withstanding the effects of subsequent high explosives blasts.

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Wrightstyle, based in Devizes in Wiltshire, England, says that the system looks no different to any other non-fire or blast system, so architects are free to design buildings without any constraints placed on them by the system.

The company says that “there have been completions in the Middle East for this system” but, understandably, refrained from naming the buildings.

However, the company’s other products, namely its curtain wall and roof glazing system, glazed doors and window systems, and specialist fabrications, have been used on some fairly familiar projects. They have supplied of over 300m

of fire rated curtain walling for the Dubai Metro’s Rashidiya station and have also supplied products for Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium, used during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.