Tecfire at Marvella: Safe, Light-Filled Living for St. Paul’s Highland Bridge
When Presbyterian Homes & Services set out to create Marvella—a two-building senior living campus in St. Paul’s Highland Bridge—they envisioned spaces that felt open, social, and connected while quietly meeting stringent life-safety demands. Tecfire was brought in to help make that balance real.
What Marvella is…
The nearly $100M Marvella retirement community welcomed its first residents in 2022, with Presbyterian Homes noting the move-ins at 825 Mount Curve Blvd. (Terrace 1) and the companion building (Terrace 2) completed next. The full campus was completed and opened in 2025, delivering 300 units across two city blocks, linked by a pedestrian skyway and wrapped with amenities that encourage community and wellbeing.
Daylight, dignity, and defense
Inside Marvella, Tecfire supplied STB80 60-minute Hinged Doors for key interior locations—places where the design team wanted generous views and daylight to carry through, but where code required rated separations to protect residents and staff.
- Compartmentation, without closing people off. The STB80 doors deliver a 60-minute fire-resistance rating while preserving sightlines between corridors, lounges, activity rooms, and staff areas. That means teams can supervise more effectively, residents can see what’s happening around them, and the building still maintains the fire barriers a senior community demands.
- Aesthetic continuity. Marvella’s interiors lean into warmth and transparency; the slim steel profiles and clear fire-resistive glazing in Tecfire’s assemblies align with that language, carrying natural light deeper into the plan rather than stopping it at each fire door.
- Quiet performance and durability. Senior living calls for doors that open smoothly, stand up to daily traffic, and keep working year after year. The STB80 hinged configuration provided the robust hardware interface and reliable swing action the operator needed for resident comfort and staff workflow.
A campus built for connection
Marvella’s thoughtfully designed campus—featuring independent living, assisted living, and memory care—spans two interconnected buildings totaling over 500,000 square feet. Within, residents enjoy a range of wellness amenities, dining venues, lounges, and terraces that promote movement and social connection year-round.
The design team envisioned an open, light-filled environment where key gathering spaces could be visually connected through glass doors—inviting natural light while maintaining a sense of community. Yet, these spaces also required robust fire protection, which is where Tecfire’s solutions proved invaluable.
“The glazing contractor, Brin Glass did a wonderful job on this installation.” said Tim Finley, Founder & Principal of T. Fin Glass + Glazing, Tecfire’s representative in the region. “By connecting Ryan Companies with Tecfire, we were able to deliver systems that met both the design vision and the life-safety standards this type of community deserves.”
