GLASS SELECTION GUIDE - Eboss

SAFETY (Human impact) April 2013
Safety for occupants is a key factor in modern housing design.
Glass is classified as a hazardous building material in the NZ Building Code Clause F2 and needs to be
either protected from human impact, strong enough to withstand impact without breaking, or break safe.
Human impact safety requirements are outlined in NZS 4223 Part 3:1999 and in most applications Safety
Glass is used.
When Insulating Glass Units are used the impact side is usually safety glass and this normally means
inner and outer panes.
GOOD
Solution:
GlassTech IGU
GlassTech IGUs that comply with NZS
4223 Part 3 are GOOD because they
comply with the NZ Building Code
requirements.
BETTER
Solution:
GlassTech Laminated IGU
GlassTech – Laminated IGUs are
BETTER as laminated glass is a Safety
Glass and will stay intact if broken.
BEST
Solution:
GlassTech Toughened IGU
GlassTech – Toughened IGUs are BEST
as toughened glass is a very hard to
break and if broken is a Safety Glass
as it breaks into small, relatively
harmless particles.
The Good, Better, Best approach is a simplification of the complexity surrounding the selection of the
correct glass to provide the best design solution, and therefore other options, not listed on this sheet, are
available from Metro GlassTech. In addition other factors can affect the glass selection such as the risk
of thermal stress breakage and the requirements to comply with the NZ Building Code and NZS 4223.
www.metroglasstech.co.nz