What is a bulletproof window like

The protection of private and public environments is an essential condition, but understanding how a bulletproof window is made will help us understand how its technical characteristics and its efficiency do not alter the aesthetics of the building in which they are located.

In fact, often experts in the sector often meet reluctant clients who fear that a bulletproof window can reduce the beauty of the facade or spoil the harmony of the spaces and the overall view both from inside and from outside.

We will surprise you with many examples of historic buildings, luxury residences with clean, elegant and essential lines, that boast levels of protection suitable for the most hostile contexts.

Capoferri has gained top-level experience in the field of security, producing bulletproof windows for civil and military buildings, in compliance with UNI EN 1522 and NATO AEP 55 standards.
Capoferri has tested and certified the bulletproof window and glass package for the civil classes FB2-FB4-FB6-FB7 and LEVEL 1-2-3-4 for the military classes.

Dimensions of a bulletproof glass window

The dimensions of a bulletproof glass window influence the choice of:

• material
• frame structure
• installation system

However, we must not think that the dimensions constitute a limit to the realization of the bulletproof window.
Since the width of the windows is a vulnerability factor for buildings, a company specialized in the sector must be able to produce large and small bulletproof doors and windows, designed to withstand firearms of different strengths.

Statistics reveal more than 80% of bullet attacks occur through doors and windows. We are not talking exclusively of city buildings with medium-sized window frames, but of villas with large windows, banks and commercial buildings which boast wide glazed facades and art galleries that externally show minimal architectural lines consisting mostly of glass.
Clearly, similar contexts would induce the inexperienced burglar to break through the glass that he perceives as a fragile element due to its big dimensions.

To ensure maximum bullet protection for people and property, it is important to install a type of bulletproof glass suitable for the dimensions of the window frame and the degree of risk exposure of the building.
In addition to the standard tests, it may be useful to carry out tests tailored to the customer’s needs, to verify the resistance to gunfire.

It is important to underline that the glazed surface has different thicknesses depending on the required protection.

What are the specifications of a bulletproof glass

The specifications of a bulletproof glass vary according to the context in which the window is placed. Civil and military buildings clearly have different security needs and therefore require the use of bulletproof glass doors and windows with specifications that aim to ensure protection.

A bulletproof glass window offers high resistance to gunshots, but that’s not all.
Structural reinforcements and elasticity of the glass surface prevent the passage of bullets and are able to withstand even strong impacts.

Each bulletproof window frame has a metal core, generally made of ballistic steel, sized according to the level of protection required. It is kept in a wooden or metal frame, in line with the style of the building to which it belongs.
The glass also has different specifications depending on the required bulletproof class. It can be used for double glazing and is always equipped with anti-splinter film, which prevents any sliver from escaping.
The glass housing is also protected by ballistic steel to ensure maximum strength.

The specifications of the ballistic glasses are able to guarantee unparalleled protection compared to other glasses.
The impact of the bullet inevitably leaves its mark in the hit point, but the glass does not break and collapse and above all the bullet does not cross the surface.

All this takes place considering an important aspect: the aesthetics of the building. Thus each technical specification performs its function in an absolutely hidden way behind the style required by the designer and architect.

For which buildings is it recommended

The bulletproof window is recommended in all civil or military buildings with a medium and high degree of risk such as:

• private residences
• banks
• commercial buildings
• government buildings
• museums
• art galleries
• religious buildings

Luxury homes located in isolated places, rooms dedicated to protect works of art, banks, government buildings and many other environments need particular protection, due to the value of the assets contained, to the presence of personalities or their function.

A bulletproof window frame perfectly integrated into its context is recommended for the safety of people and environments.

The need to protect an environment varies from one context to another, requiring a type of bulletproof window of different classes and levels.

Talking about effectiveness and aesthetic integration, our attention goes immediately to one of the most evident examples of this perfect marriage. Let’s think of the Presidential Palace of Tiblisi in Georgia, where Capoferri Serramenti intervened with a restoration that was rigorously respectful of the original. The company specialized in doors and windows has dealt with the façade and the redefinition of the internal environments, with over 100 windows in oak wood, two verandas, facades developed on three floors with bronze profiles, a door of imposing dimensions, responding to the need very high security standards, typical of military sites; all with a very high stylistic result.

But without thinking exclusively of the maximum level of protection guaranteed by bulletproof glass capable of a high degree of resistance to civilian weapons, we can turn our attention to buildings with essential lines, present in villas and private residences where burglary resistant windows are recommended.

Security is a growing need today. Living in a protected place or entrusting your belongings to it means that there are more and more environments where it is recommended to install burglary resistant windows. A good manufacturer has the task of designing, building and installing safe windows, respecting the requests of the client and the architect who takes care of the project.