Solarlux exceeds security standards for burglar resistance

Solarlux has passed the requirements of testing institution WinTech with flying colours with its high quality glazing products  exceeding the stringent testing parameters for burglar resistance.

The new flat floor tracks of Solarlux’s SL 60e and SL 80/81 folding glass doors were tested and classified to PAS24 –  the standard defining performance requirements for improved security of doors and windows for the British market). They also surpassed all thermal standards and burglar resistance criteria.

In the United Kingdom, the "Secured by Design" (SBD) organisation, part of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), is committed to classifying the burglar resistance of windows and doors. On this basis a standard called PAS 24:2012 has been jointly developed by the police, a number of manufacturers and the British Standards Institution.. PAS24 defines certain performance requirements for improved security of doors and windows for the British market. The abbreviation PAS stands for "Publicly Available Specification" and is a minimum requirement.

Security tests for glazing products are identical throughout the majority of Europe, but in Britain a longer burglary attempt time is allowed for. At fifteen minutes the PAS24 test is five times as long as the RC2 test for the rest of Europe, plus in the practical burglary tests, a wider selection of tools than usual is used to pry open doors and break the latches. The PAS24 standard also requires doors and windows to meet the relevant basic wind resistance, driving rain capacity and air-tightness requirements for the particular relevant applications.

Glass is becoming increasingly popular as a primary building material for entire façades and clients are understandably asking more pertinent questions about the products’ security. It is in fact the guiding systems such as the latches and floor tracks rather than the glazing itself which can represent a building weak spot. It's precisely the demand for barrier-free living that can lead to conflicts in this regard as the floor tracks in folding glass doors are only allowed to be 20mm in height for the European standard, or 15mm in height for the British standard.

Folding glass doors offer clear advantages compared to most glazing solutions. In particular, they enable the large-scale illumination of entire rooms and allow them to be extended outwards in the blink of an eye. It is exactly this openness that has led to the need for European regulations on windows and façades to check and classify protection against potential burglars. Of all the countries, it is the test for compliance with the British burglar resistance standard that is the most stringent.