By Erin Bellis, Senior Manager of Security Products & Specifications, McGrory Glass Systems

In K-12 school architecture, a shift is occurring. For years, school-safety discussions focused on reactive, visible reinforcements. The immediate response to security threats involved retrofitting schools with steel bars, security��shutters��and windowless concrete entryways. While these measures��were intended��to protect, they��frequently��transformed centers of learning into cold, institutional spaces. Today, educational architects and school districts recognize that physical security must coexist with a student’s psychological well-being.��

The mandate for school construction requires achieving life-safety protection while preserving an open,��transparent��and welcoming environment. This balance is known as Human-Centered Design��(HCD). By prioritizing daylighting, clear lines of sight, and biophilic connections, architects can foster an atmosphere where students focus on academics. Central to this design philosophy is the implementation of “invisible hardening”��—��advanced security glazing systems engineered to withstand physical and ballistic attacks while��remaining��indistinguishable from standard architectural glass.��

“We can make almost any space secure, but if you’re not careful, it can end up looking like a jail,” says Chad Snyder,��Senior��Director of the��Security��Division at McGrory Glass. “That challenge has forced manufacturers to develop security glazing that performs like a hardened product but��doesn’t��have to be installed in heavy, industrial-looking hollow-metal frames. Instead, these products can work in aluminum storefront systems and other framing while still providing attack resistance.”��

Two recent elementary school projects��demonstrate��how specialized glazing fabrication transforms security from an imposing obstacle into a protective layer of a��building’s��envelope.��

Unifying History and Security: DCPS Truesdell Elementary School��

In Washington, D.C., the modernization of DCPS Truesdell Elementary School presented an architectural challenge. Designed by VMDO Architects, the project required unifying historic 1920s structures with high-performance modern additions. The school needed to create an environment that felt open and connected to the surrounding��community, yet��structurally prepared for unauthorized��breach��attempts.��

To bridge the gap between life safety and aesthetic transparency, the design team��utilized��McGrory Glass’����security glazing. Engineered specifically for high-traffic educational environments, this attack-resistant glass features a proprietary interlayer designed to prevent body passage during physical attacks. Tested to standards such as ASTM F1233 and ASTM F3561, the glazing can withstand sustained physical assaults from tools like bats,��hammers��and crowbars for��nearly 15��minutes. This structural durability offers school administrators a tactical advantage: the time��required��to execute lockdown protocols and await emergency response.��

The baseline of how manufacturers approach these spaces has undergone��a paradigm shift. As Erin Bellis,��Senior��Manager of��Security��Products and��Performance��Specifications at McGrory Glass, points out, school security requirements look vastly different today than they did a couple of decades ago.��

“Fifteen years ago, the industry wasn’t really thinking about security glass in schools,” Bellis explains. “That changed significantly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. It forced manufacturers to rethink their products, especially for schools that might not be able to afford more robust ballistic glazing.”��

What makes the Truesdell Elementary installation a benchmark for human-centered design is its technical integration. Rather than treating security zones as isolated barriers, the security glazing was integrated with��Solarban® low-e coatings. This allowed the specialized security panels to match the visual appearance of standard IGUs (insulated glass units) used throughout the rest of the campus.��

By��eliminating��the visual cues of a security barrier, the building��maintains��aesthetic uniformity. Students and staff move between security perimeters and open community spaces without any added psychological weight. Several of the security glass panels feature custom decorative gradient fades fabricated in-house. These gradients enhance occupant comfort and localized privacy while allowing natural light to flood into the learning spaces, proving that proactive school safety and clean design can coexist within the same square foot.��

Erin Bellis is the Senior Manager of Security Products & Specifications at McGrory Glass Systems.

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By Lindsey Coulter

The 91��Ƶ Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver’s historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.��

Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban��development��and the increasingly compressed construction schedules facing school districts. The symposium was designed to move beyond broad industry trends and examine real projects and lessons that can be applied to future work.��

Designing for Belonging��

The program opened with a keynote from Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools for Jeffco Public Schools, who challenged attendees to consider the relationship between school environments, student��experience��and educational outcomes.��

Coleman’s presentation, “Building Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,” examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school��culture��and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium’s emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.��

The keynote was followed by a district-level perspective from Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified School District. Ali discussed the development of Compton High School and the importance of trust,��continuity��and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.��

Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of��the high��school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.��He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.����

The discussion illustrated a broader theme that ran throughout the symposium: successful school construction is not simply about delivering a building, but about creating facilities that reflect community priorities and support long-term educational goals.��

Beyond Safety and Security��

The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,��belonging��and well-being can coexist in school environments.��

Panelists��Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM’s PK-12 Studio; Joel Williams, Studio Director at QKA; Guy Grace, vice chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools; and Pat Tackney, Security & Architectural Sales Consultant for McGrory Glass Systems,��expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,��comfort��and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.��

The discussion reflected a broader shift in school design toward environments that address both physical safety and the emotional and social conditions that help students learn.��

Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation��

After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student��housing��with a case study��on��Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Summit House.��

Presented by��Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and Construction for MSU Denver; Ben Diaz, Senior Development Manager for Columbia Ventures; Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with SAR+ Architects; Ryan Marshall – Superintendent at PCL Construction,��the��session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,��explored the planning,��design��and delivery of MSU Denver’s first residence hall.��

Summit House��represents��a significant milestone for the university and for Colorado construction. The 12-story student residence is being delivered using mass timber and is positioned to become the tallest mass-timber structure in the state. The project also incorporates an urban construction environment and a public-private delivery model. (91��Ƶ)��

Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships��required��to make the project possible. Those included material��selection, planning,��logistics,��development��and construction delivery.��

The case study also gave attendees a closer look at the increasingly complex role of construction teams working in dense urban environments and managing innovative structural systems.��

Racing the Summer Construction Clock��

The symposium concluded its formal program with a panel focused on one of the most persistent challenges in K-12 construction: delivering projects within the limited summer construction window.��

Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of��SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,��Deputy��Chief of��Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,��Vice��President of��Corporate��Operations at Erickson-Hall.��

Dubbed “The Summer Sprint,” the discussion��addressed��planning, coordination, risk��management��and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.��

Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and��facilities��leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately��2 million square feet��of capital improvement,��construction��and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.��Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.��

The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,��coordination��and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while��maintaining��quality.��

The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 91��Ƶ recently examined the “Summer Sprint” as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.��

From Conversation to Job Site��

Attendees also��had the opportunity to take the��morning’s��discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver’s Summit House.��

The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project’s planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 91��Ƶ, the project��represents��the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative��materials��and alternative approaches to project delivery.��

Across its sessions, the symposium emphasized a common challenge facing both K-12 and higher education: making increasingly complex capital investments serve long-term institutional and community goals.��

From Coleman’s examination of belonging to Ali’s discussion of community trust, the design panel’s exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House’s innovative delivery and the final panel’s focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.��

Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:��How can the industry create schools and campuses that are not only built successfully, but equipped to serve the people and communities who depend on them?��

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Ocean Series Dichroic Glass

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Caption: At Grandville Middle School, McGrory Glass’ DefendEd and FireDefend glazing systems were chosen not just for their life-safety performance but also for their clarity and ability to allow natural light to pass through interior walls to maximize visibility throughout the building. Photo Credit (all): Jason Keen

Contributed by McGrory Glass

In today’s world, school safety isn’t optional—it’s essential. School designs must meet rigorous life-safety codes while still supporting open, welcoming architecture. For years, utilizing protective glazing systems meant compromising on aesthetics, natural light or design intent. Now, that compromise is no longer necessary.

Advancements in glazing technology allow architects, specifiers, and school districts to meet strict security and fire-rating requirements—without sacrificing clarity, daylight or design vision. At McGrory Glass, we specialize in integrated glazing solutions that bring together security and fire protection in a single system, supporting both safety and aesthetics.

A Real-World Example: Sunlit Safety at Grandville Middle School

Architects, specifiers, and school districts often face the challenge of bringing enough daylight into schools and universities while still meeting strict security and fire-rating requirements. When daylighting is poorly integrated into school design, the consequences go far beyond dim hallways or shadowed classrooms. Inadequate exposure to natural light can disrupt students’ sleep cycles, weaken immune systems and increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency.

The effects extend to mental health as well. Limited daylight has been linked to elevated stress, lowered mood and symptoms of depression. For students and educators who spend most of their day indoors, lack of natural light can lead to reduced focus, increased fatigue and decreased overall performance ().

That’s why glazing choices matter. At Grandville Middle School, McGrory Glass’ and glazing systems were chosen not just for their life-safety performance, but also for their clarity and ability to allow natural light to pass through interior walls to maximize visibility throughout the building. These systems empower designers to meet the highest standards of safety without sacrificing the daylighting essential to student wellness, learning and school culture.

McGrory Glass supplied both our DefendEd laminated security glazing and FireDefend fire-rated security glazing to help create a bright, secure environment for students and staff.

“ is designed to resist forced entry, even after being weakened by bullets, and prevent an attempted intruder from gaining access into an unauthorized space. This project was especially unique in that many of the secured interior areas also required a fire rating to meet building code. The result was the inclusion of our FireDefend series, which combines our security glazing with our fire-rated glazing in a single construction,” said Erin Bellis, senior manager of security products and specifications at McGrory Glass.

The and series also contribute to anti-bullying initiatives by providing transparency through otherwise long expanses of opaque wall, thus creating fewer places to interact without surveillance.

Common Challenges When Combining Codes

Historically, school buildings were designed with minimal glass, often using unattractive or unsafe materials like wired glass for fire protection. Design trends have shifted to prioritize aesthetics, natural light and enhanced safety. Integrated solutions are now available from single sources, streamlining the process and improving overall system compatibility. Glazing that provides both security protection and fire protection didn’t exist two decades ago. Schools traditionally had to sacrifice one to include the other.

One of the main challenges in modern school safety is choosing a glazing solution that is certified and tested to perform to all criteria that the district desires, including safety, security and fire-protection when applicable.

Chad Snyder, senior director of aecurity aystems at McGrory Glass, explained, “Our team fabricates a full portfolio of ballistic and attack-resistant glazing that is third-party tested to meet the highest current standards. Because security requirements aren’t mandated by building code, there’s a lot of confusion in the market. Many initially default to repackaged impact-safety film solutions, thinking they’re faster and cheaper, but that often comes at the cost of performance in real-world emergencies.”

As noted in , another key concern is that added polymers or plastics in a fire-rated system can unintentionally fuel a fire.

“Fortunately,” Snyder added, “advancements in materials and extensive research and development have made it possible to combine fire-rated and security glazing. Every time we integrate these systems, we conduct new testing to ensure the security enhancements don’t compromise fire performance.”

Aesthetic Innovation: High Performance with Minimal Compromises

McGrory Glass offers integrated glazing solutions that combine code compliance with cutting-edge design and performance. These innovative systems meet rigorous safety standards while enabling privacy, branding and even additional layers of protection. They can also be converted to insulating glass units with high performance coatings when used in exterior applications.

Specialty fire-rated and security-rated glazing products can now include graphic interlayers and privacy treatments, such as frosted or translucent finishes, that reduce visibility while allowing some daylight to pass through. For sensitive areas like front entrances, administrative offices, or internal corridors, one-way vision options provide discreet protection—allowing faculty or security personnel to see through the glazing from inside the protected areas but blocking an unwanted intruder’s ability to see inside that occupied space.

As a leader in both decorative and life safety glazing, McGrory Glass is uniquely equipped to integrate the best of both into one solution that satisfies all of the requirements from each architect and school district.

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