Glass partition glossary
The terms you will meet in quotes, drawings and specifications for office glass partitions, explained in one or two sentences each.
- Acoustic laminated glass
- Laminated glass with a sound-damping interlayer that blocks more speech frequencies than standard laminate of the same thickness.
- Approved Document K
- The part of the Building Regulations guidance in England covering protection from falling, collision and impact, including manifestation on glazing.
- Approved Document B
- Building Regulations guidance in England on fire safety, which governs fire-rated partitions and escape routes.
- Butt joint
- A joint where two glass panels meet edge to edge without a frame, usually sealed with clear silicone or a polycarbonate strip.
- Cat A fit-out
- A landlord's basic finish to an office floor: ceilings, lighting, raised floors, toilets and services, without the tenant's partitions or furniture.
- Cat B fit-out
- The tenant's fit-out of a Cat A floor, including partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, furniture and branding.
- Deflection head
- A head channel that allows the ceiling or slab above to move slightly without loading the glass.
- Demountable partition
- A modular wall system designed to be taken down and re-used in a new layout.
- Double glazed partition
- A partition with two panes of glass separated by a cavity, used to improve sound reduction.
- E rating
- Fire integrity rating: the time in minutes a glazed element stops flames and hot gases passing through.
- EI rating
- Fire integrity and insulation rating: the element also limits heat transfer to the protected side.
- Flanking transmission
- Sound passing round a partition through ceiling voids, floors or adjoining walls rather than through the glass.
- Floor spring
- A closing mechanism set into the floor under a glass door that returns it to the closed position.
- Intumescent seal
- A seal that expands when heated to close gaps in fire-rated doors and frames.
- Laminated glass
- Two or more glass layers bonded with an interlayer that holds the glass together if it breaks.
- Licence for alterations
- A landlord's formal written consent for a tenant to carry out works such as partitions.
- Manifestation
- Markings on glass walls and doors that make the glass visible to prevent collisions.
- Mullion
- A vertical frame member dividing panes of glass.
- Patch fitting
- A metal fitting clamped to the corner of a glass door that holds the pivot or lock.
- PDLC
- Polymer dispersed liquid crystal, the film inside switchable smart glass.
- Rw
- Weighted sound reduction index, a laboratory measure in decibels of how much airborne sound a wall blocks.
- Toughened glass
- Glass heat-treated to be several times stronger than ordinary glass and to break into small blunt pieces. Also called tempered glass.
- Transom
- A horizontal frame member dividing panes of glass.
- Vision panel
- A glazed section in a solid door that lets people see through it.
Common terms
What is acoustic laminated glass?
Laminated glass with a sound-damping interlayer that blocks more speech frequencies than standard laminate of the same thickness.
What is Approved Document K?
The part of the Building Regulations guidance in England covering protection from falling, collision and impact, including manifestation on glazing.
What is Approved Document B?
Building Regulations guidance in England on fire safety, which governs fire-rated partitions and escape routes.
What is butt joint?
A joint where two glass panels meet edge to edge without a frame, usually sealed with clear silicone or a polycarbonate strip.
What is cat a fit-out?
A landlord's basic finish to an office floor: ceilings, lighting, raised floors, toilets and services, without the tenant's partitions or furniture.
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