Blast Test Specification 
Guideline specifications, to assist architects to ultimately reduce the hazardous consequences of a blast force on fenestration systems, have been published by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). AAMA 510-06, Voluntary Guide Specification for Blast Hazard Mitigation for Fenestration Systems, directs manufacturers to the appropriate resources to simulate blast conditions in a laboratory environment in order to evaluate and compare fenestration system performance in a standardized manner. 

“The effort to establish a fenestration system performance classification relating to the hazards of a blast event represents the combined work of test laboratories, manufacturers, component suppliers and independent consultants,” noted Dennis Kelly, senior vice president of Graham Architectural Products and chairperson of the Blast Hazard Task Group. “As a result, system categorization and standard tests now exist for a broad range of products, allowing manufacturers to design products in a manner that will help to reduce injuries and fatalities—should the real thing occur,” he adds. In addition to establishing testing guidelines, other goals of the AAMA Blast Hazard Task Group are to educate the design community and to establish a rating system that could be referenced by project specifiers. 

Arch to Expand Low-E Offering 
Arch Aluminum & Glass has confirmed plans to expand its value-added product and service offerings for the commercial market with Guardian’s Sun-Guard commercial glass products as the cornerstone of its growth initiative.

“We selected Guardian because they have the most comprehensive product offering in the industry,” said Arch Aluminum & Glass vice president of sales Steve Perilstein. “We currently have eight facilities that run Guardian’s SN-68 commercial low-E product, with plans to bring all of our locations on board in the near future.” 

Oldcastle Glass Makes Acquisition
Oldcastle Glass has acquired Miami-based Florida Laminated & Tempered Glass, a provider of laminated and tempered glass products in the Southern Florida regional construction market.

Florida Laminated & Tempered Glass occupies 75,000 square feet of manufacturing space and is a satellite operation of Oldcastle Glass Miami, located less than two miles away.

“Driven by the implementation of building codes, hurricane-resistant glass is the fastest growing segment of the architectural glass market,” said Ted Hathaway, CEO, Oldcastle Glass. 

PPG Selects Web Service 
PPG Industries has selected the Product Placement Advisor (PPA) Web service of Green Building Studio Inc., a sustainability analysis software and services company in the architectural, engineering, and construction industry, to promote its Solarban 70XL glass product line to building designers. 

The Web service is designed for architects to use at the earliest phase of their design to fully understand the cost-effective opportunities to maximize their building’s sustainability. The PPA engine targets a manufacturer’s product to the building designs they identify as their ideal market and allows building designers to have the product applied automatically to their building design for immediate determination of the possible energy and resource benefits.

PGC Meets in Chicago
The Protective Glazing Council (PGC) held its annual spring meeting earlier this year in Chicago. 

As part of the educational program, Michael Duffy, HNTB Federal Service Corp., expounded on the benefit and connection of LEED criteria and protective glazing. 

“You will recognize immediately that you are producing a better building [when meeting LEED criteria]. The rule of thumb is that, on average, buildings that are certified up to silver level will show a 20-year payback of 10 to 1 on a 2-percent investment, especially on the low end of the spectrum,” said Duffy.

He explained that the energy efficiency demands of LEED criteria and the aspect of security glazing, in particular, come together where the U.S. Department of State Overseas Building Operations’ (OBO) demands for U.S. embassies are concerned. 

“Embassies are supposed to be representative of our society,” Duffy continued, showing photos of the U.S. embassies in other countries before the events of September 11, 2001, since that time and projections for the future. Some older embassies, such as that in Oslo, Norway, had hardly any setback distance in a full side of fenestration. 

Duffy noted that since 2001, the design of several United States embassies contained significantly less glazing and most closely resembled penitentiaries. That said, Duffy then showed slides of designs for embassies yet to be built, noting that many of the designs are incorporating more and more glass. 

However, the OBO criteria for these new designs include meeting the goal of having all new facilities designed to LEED-certified levels and complete energy savings performance projects while still, of course, having the protective glazing element to secure building occupants. 

Joseph Smith of Applied Research Associates gave a presentation on the subject of blast hazard mitigation.

“When you’re bidding a job, it’s important to remember that you need to have both pressure and impulse specified. If they don’t give you the impulse they’re not giving you all the tools you need to do your job. Whenever you see just the pressure, you know you don’t have everything you need to respond to that project. It happens a lot more than you realize,” he said. 

Julie Schimmelpenningh of Solutia also discussed blast mitigation. She began her presentation by discussing a Ducker Research study Solutia had commissioned on the use of protective glazing and consumer awareness.

“If you look for a definition of protective glazing, you won’t find one. We had to create one: Glass set or made to be set in frames serving to keep the body or materials from being damaged, attacked, stolen or injured,” she said, describing the breakdown of the protective glazing market and the priority list of what building owners and managers are seeking when they decide to implement protective glazing.

Schimmelpenningh then segued into a look at standards used to determine the capability of products used in protective glazing, comparing the ASTM and GSA requirements which many in the protective glazing industry are familiar with, as well as other standards and specifications in the works.

glasstec Program Focuses on Photovoltaics
As part of glasstec 2006, the 19th International Trade Fair for Machinery, Equipment, Applications and Products in Düsseldorf, Germany, October 24-28, the accompanying technical symposium will focus on façade-integrated photovoltaics.

The technology is being more frequently utilized by architects, and the glass industry’s largest event will explore the subject through discussions of innovative products and developments as well as manufacturing technology, process engineering and applications.

Further information on the event is available at www.mdna.com. Architects are invited to attend.

The glasstec show, which will be held in Düsseldorf October 24 to 28, is the largest architectural glass event in the world.

USG
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