Saint-Gobain Opens North America Fire Testing Lab
Saint-Gobain opens $30M fire testing lab in Massachusetts for construction material testing.
Saint-Gobain North America has opened a nearly $30 million fire testing laboratory at its Innovation Hub North America in Northborough and Marlborough, Mass., expanding the company’s ability to conduct fire-resistance testing of construction materials in-house.
The 15,000-square-foot facility is Saint-Gobain’s first fire testing laboratory in North America and represents the latest investment in the company’s ongoing transformation of its 26-acre Massachusetts research campus. The project broke ground in October 2024 and involved more than 40 local trade partners and subcontractors.
The lab is designed to test internal and external wall and floor systems under loaded and unloaded conditions, along with structural steel fire-protection coating materials. It can also perform hose-stream testing to evaluate how materials respond to the pressure of a fire hose following exposure to high temperatures.
Saint-Gobain said the facility was designed to meet ANSI/UL and CAN/ULC standards for measuring the fire resistance of construction materials, with the goal of providing testing that can support product certification. Bringing that testing capability in-house is expected to shorten the development process while providing additional opportunities for product customization and collaboration with customers.
“Resiliency, passive fire protection, and occupant safety in building materials are more important in construction than ever, and we are committed to having the resources and capabilities in place to help customers meet those demands,” said Todd DiNoia, vice president, Innovations and R&D, Saint-Gobain.
DiNoia said the facility will help the company bring new products to market faster while using advanced emissions-control technology intended to reduce the environmental impact of fire testing.
The lab includes two furnaces with fully electronic controls designed for temperature precision. According to Saint-Gobain, their emissions-control systems substantially reduce carbon emissions compared with traditional furnaces and exceed regulatory requirements. The company said the environmental controls also eliminate odors and impacts on the surrounding community.
The new fire-testing capabilities complement Saint-Gobain’s existing large-scale acoustic and weather-testing operations at the Northborough campus. Together, the facilities will allow the company to conduct large-scale, on-demand testing for a range of commercial construction applications.
More than 400 permanent employees work at the Innovation Hub campus, which Saint-Gobain is continuing to modernize as a research and development center supporting its North American operations.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
.webp?height=740&t=1781278983&width=auto "KEE(2).png")
