Saint-Gobain North America has opened a new advanced fire testing laboratory at its Innovation Hub North America campus in Massachusetts, expanding its internal research and development capabilities for fire-resistant construction materials.
The new 15,000-square-foot facility, which represents a nearly $30 million investment, is the largest investment made at Saint-Gobain’s Massachusetts campus. The project began construction in October 2024 as part of a decade-long transformation and modernization initiative designed to strengthen the company’s innovation infrastructure.
The laboratory is equipped with two fully electronic-controlled furnaces featuring advanced temperature precision and emissions control systems. These technologies allow Saint-Gobain to conduct more efficient fire testing while reducing carbon emissions compared with conventional furnace systems, supporting the company’s global objective of achieving carbon neutrality.
The facility has been designed to comply with ANSI/UL and CAN/ULC standards for measuring the fire resistance performance of construction materials. Saint-Gobain plans to use the laboratory to pursue product certification capabilities, enabling faster validation of new building solutions. 
Testing capabilities include evaluating the fire performance of interior and exterior wall assemblies, floor systems, and structural steel fire protection coatings. The laboratory can assess both loaded and unloaded building systems, providing detailed performance data under different structural conditions.
A dedicated hose stream testing system is also included, simulating real-world firefighting conditions by exposing materials to high-pressure water streams after fire exposure. This allows researchers to evaluate how building components maintain integrity during emergency response scenarios.
Source: Saint-Gobain North America with additional information added by Glass Balkan
