Caption: At Grandville Middle School, McGrory Glass’ DefendEd™ and FireDefend™ glazing systems were chosen not just for their life-safety performance but also for their clarity and ability to allow natural light to pass through interior walls to maximize visibility throughout the building. Photo Credit (all): Jason Keen
Contributed by McGrory Glass
In today’s world, school safety isn’t optional—it’s essential. School designs must meet rigorous life-safety codes while still supporting open, welcoming architecture. For years, utilizing protective glazing systems meant compromising on aesthetics, natural light or design intent. Now, that compromise is no longer necessary.
Advancements in glazing technology allow architects, specifiers, and school districts to meet strict security and fire-rating requirements—without sacrificing clarity, daylight or design vision. At McGrory Glass, we specialize in integrated glazing solutions that bring together security and fire protection in a single system, supporting both safety and aesthetics.
A Real-World Example: Sunlit Safety at Grandville Middle School
fire-rated security glazing to help create a bright, secure environment for students and staff.
Architects, specifiers, and school districts often face the challenge of bringing enough daylight into schools and universities while still meeting strict security and fire-rating requirements. When daylighting is poorly integrated into school design, the consequences go far beyond dim hallways or shadowed classrooms. Inadequate exposure to natural light can disrupt students’ sleep cycles, weaken immune systems and increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency.
The effects extend to mental health as well. Limited daylight has been linked to elevated stress, lowered mood and symptoms of depression. For students and educators who spend most of their day indoors, lack of natural light can lead to reduced focus, increased fatigue and decreased overall performance (PBK, 2024).
That’s why glazing choices matter. At Grandville Middle School, McGrory Glass’ DefendEd™ and FireDefend™ glazing systems were chosen not just for their life-safety performance, but also for their clarity and ability to allow natural light to pass through interior walls to maximize visibility throughout the building. These systems empower designers to meet the highest standards of safety without sacrificing the daylighting essential to student wellness, learning and school culture.
McGrory Glass supplied both our DefendEd™ laminated security glazing and FireDefend™ fire-rated security glazing to help create a bright, secure environment for students and staff.
“DefendEd™ is designed to resist forced entry, even after being weakened by bullets, and prevent an attempted intruder from gaining access into an unauthorized space. This project was especially unique in that many of the secured interior areas also required a fire rating to meet building code. The result was the inclusion of our FireDefend™ series, which combines our security glazing with our fire-rated glazing in a single construction,” said Erin Bellis, senior manager of security products and specifications at McGrory Glass.
The DefendEd™ and FireDefend™ series also contribute to anti-bullying initiatives by providing transparency through otherwise long expanses of opaque wall, thus creating fewer places to interact without surveillance.
Common Challenges When Combining Codes
Historically, school buildings were designed with minimal glass, often using unattractive or unsafe materials like wired glass for fire protection. Design trends have shifted to prioritize aesthetics, natural light and enhanced safety. Integrated solutions are now available from single sources, streamlining the process and improving overall system compatibility. Glazing that provides both security protection and fire protection didn’t exist two decades ago. Schools traditionally had to sacrifice one to include the other.
One of the main challenges in modern school safety is choosing a glazing solution that is certified and tested to perform to all criteria that the district desires, including safety, security and fire-protection when applicable.
Chad Snyder, senior director of aecurity aystems at McGrory Glass, explained, “Our team fabricates a full portfolio of ballistic and attack-resistant glazing that is third-party tested to meet the highest current standards. Because security requirements aren’t mandated by building code, there’s a lot of confusion in the market. Many initially default to repackaged impact-safety film solutions, thinking they’re faster and cheaper, but that often comes at the cost of performance in real-world emergencies.”
As noted in USGlass Magazine, another key concern is that added polymers or plastics in a fire-rated system can unintentionally fuel a fire.
“Fortunately,” Snyder added, “advancements in materials and extensive research and development have made it possible to combine fire-rated and security glazing. Every time we integrate these systems, we conduct new testing to ensure the security enhancements don’t compromise fire performance.”
Aesthetic Innovation: High Performance with Minimal Compromises
McGrory Glass offers integrated glazing solutions that combine code compliance with cutting-edge design and performance. These innovative systems meet rigorous safety standards while enabling privacy, branding and even additional layers of protection. They can also be converted to insulating glass units with high performance coatings when used in exterior applications.
Specialty fire-rated and security-rated glazing products can now include graphic interlayers and privacy treatments, such as frosted or translucent finishes, that reduce visibility while allowing some daylight to pass through. For sensitive areas like front entrances, administrative offices, or internal corridors, one-way vision options provide discreet protection—allowing faculty or security personnel to see through the glazing from inside the protected areas but blocking an unwanted intruder’s ability to see inside that occupied space.
As a leader in both decorative and life safety glazing, McGrory Glass is uniquely equipped to integrate the best of both into one solution that satisfies all of the requirements from each architect and school district.