Architects and engineers working with USACE, NAVFAC, the Veterans Affairs Administration, or other federal clients understand the force protection framework. DOD UFC 4-010-01 and related Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (ATFP) criteria define minimum standards for building envelopes on installations where blast risk must be mitigated.
The conventional assumption is that meeting those criteria requires heavy, expensive laminated glass — the same opaque, high-dead-load solution used in hardened government buildings for decades. Kalwall offers a different answer: a translucent envelope system that meets ATFP requirements while preserving access to natural daylight and without the structural liability of glass-mass loading.
Kalwall is actively installed on military facilities across the US and internationally, providing ATFP-compliant daylighting in environments where that combination was previously considered unavailable. Video documentation of live-fire blast testing is available and recommended for project team review.
The blast performance of a Kalwall assembly is a function of three elements: shatterproof face sheets that do not fragment upon impact, industry-leading structural adhesives that maintain panel integrity under pressure, and an assembly design that keeps the panel within the frame during a blast event. The result is a system that vents energy without generating the glass shrapnel that causes the majority of blast-related injuries in conventional glazing failures.
One of the most consistent findings in blast-resistant glazing applications is that Kalwall requires very little alteration from standard configurations to satisfy ATFP requirements. When no specific threat has been identified within a secured perimeter, the standard Kalwall wall system is sufficient.
Panel stays in frame. No fragmentation. No shrapnel. The primary injury risk from conventional blast glazing is eliminated.
Kalwall is significantly lighter than laminated glass. Lower dead loads, reduced structural requirements, easier installation.
Thermal performance, daylighting, and blast resistance from one system, no layered-in secondary protection.
Spanning capabilities are limited by panel configuration. Horizontal support requirements must be addressed at conceptual design.
Kalwall blast-resistant systems are engineered to the frameworks that govern antiterrorism and force protection (ATFP) design:
+ DOD UFC 4-010-01: Minimum antiterrorism standards for buildings, the most commonly referenced criteria on federal and military work
+ GSA Level C and D
+ Department of State physical security criteria
Meeting them comes down to how the panel behaves under pressure. Shatterproof face sheets and structural adhesives keep the panel within its frame during a blast event, relieving internal pressure without the glass shards, heavy deadloads, or specialized handling that laminated glass brings to the same job.
Assemblies are matched to each project’s blast criteria, defined either as pressure and impulse or as charge weight and standoff distance. Applicable configurations: 2¾” and 4″ walls.
Blast resistance requirements sometimes appear in project specs based on inclusion in the UFGS guide spec for translucent panels, not because the specific project actually requires it. If blast criteria appear in your spec and the project is not a high-security or threat-assessed facility, contact your Kalwall representative to clarify the applicable requirements before assuming a hardened configuration is necessary.
If your project must meet blast or anti-terrorism force protection requirements, engage a Kalwall representative early, at conceptual design. Blast-resistant assemblies have limited spanning capability and need appropriate horizontal support, so those constraints are best known before the layout is set.
