Requirements for Manifestation
As well as providing the finishing touch to interior design when using glass office partitions, frosted manifestation is the most cost effective and easy way to ensure compliance with current building regulations.
Full height glass in windows, partitions or doors must marked correctly with manifestation to make sure that it is made obvious, to help prevent injury sustained if someone was to walk into the glass.
This is a requirement of Schedule 1, Part K of the Building Regulations 2010. Guidance for the regulations is provided in Approved Document K, 2013, Section 7.4, which states:
Provide glass doors and glazed screens (including glazed screens alongside a corridor) with all of the following:
a. Manifestation at two levels, as shown in Diagram 7.2
b. Manifestation that will contrast visually with the background seen through the glass, both from the inside and outside, in all lighting conditions.
c. Manifestation in the form of a logo or sign, a minimum of 150mm high (repeated if on a glazed screen), or a decorative feature such as broken lines or continuous bands, a minimum of 50mm high.
d. Where glazed doors are beside or part of a glazed screen, they are clearly marked with a high-contrast strip at the top and on both sides.
e. Where glass doors may be held open, they are protected with guarding to prevent people colliding with the leading edge.
This is the minimum requirement. Larger or full area manifestation may also be used, including coloured films and graphics. Viso Partitions can advise you on the best type of manifestation to use on your project. We can also explain the current safety regulations if they are unclear.
For further detail, download the current Building Regulations Approved Document K using the link on the right, or click here to visit the Government website.
Note: These regulations were formerly part of the Building Regulations Approved Document M, but were transferred to Approved Document K in 2013.
