Frame elevations


Frame elevations enhance interior designs and improve quality of life by creating more light inside the building. There are four basic types of frame elevations:

  • Borrowed lites: Glass light without door opening.

  • Sidelites: Door opening with a glass light on one side or both sides.

  • Transom lites: Door opening with a glass light above.

  • Transom sidelites frames: Door opening with a combination of sidelites and transom lites.



For one-hour fire-rated walls, frame elevations used to be limited to 1,296 inē (0.84 mē) of exposed glass with a maximum of 54" (1.37 m) in any directions. Through innovation, with the use of ceramic glass, it is now possible to increase the exposed glass dimensions while enjoying clear glass instead of wired glass. Further informations regarding fire rating is available in the Fire Rated Frames section or page FS.80.1 of this architectural binder.



References:

NFPA 80:  Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives.
NFPA 257: Standard for Fire Test for Window and Glass Block Assemblies.
IBC 2003: International Building Code.


Borrowed lites:





Sidelites:




 
Transom lites and transom sidelites:






Arched frames with lites:




Special frames:
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