Perimeter wall fire barriers pose unique design challenges.
Like all construction joints, a curtain wall joint is constantly moving and shifting against the building structure.
The joint may also be exposed to weather, outdoor and indoor elements during and after construction.
So when you’re specifying a firestop solution for curtain walls you need to take into account movement, leakage and water ratings to avoid costly retrofitting in the future.
When you’re firestopping the edge of a slab along the perimeter of a building, you also need to choose a firestop system to work with the exterior sheathing of the building.
This could be made of a variety of components such as curtain wall assemblies, pre-caste concrete panels or cold formed steel framing and sheathing.