Volume 21, Issue 1 - January 2007
Volume 21, Issue 1 - January 2007
| News What Homeowners Want From Windows Following the national trend of interest in anything related to energy costs and savings, 66 percent of homeowners responding to an online survey recently cited energy efficiency as the single most important quality of their windows. The survey, which includes 13,600 respondents, was conducted by Ventura Associates Inc., New York City, as part of the Simonton Windows–House of Windows Sweepstakes in conjunction with Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford television show. According to Chris Monroe, vice president of marketing for Simonton Windows, “The single stand-out issue was energy efficiency. When asked how important it was to them that their windows were Energy Star rated, 87.8 percent of respondents answered either ‘extremely important’ or ‘important.’ That’s a very high rating and shows us that homeowners are constantly gaining more knowledge on energy-efficiency issues connected with the products in their homes.” When given several options for answering the question, “What is the single most important quality of your windows?” 66.1 percent of respondents identified energy efficiency. Maintenance-free aspects came in second place with 12.3 percent, and security came in third place with 8.3 percent. Blast Test and Certification Program Introduced A testing and certification program for windows, glass doors and curtainwalls exposed to blast conditions has been introduced by the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA). The program combines an approved process for testing blast-resistant fenestration products with a certification program that verifies the quality of ongoing production and installation practices. “The challenge of getting an installed blast-resistant fenestration product that meets the required performance for protection has long been a concern for designers, engineers, building owners and suppliers and installers of the fenestration products,” explains Ed Conrath, P.E. for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Protective Design Center, who was actively involved in the Blast Mitigation Task Force. “AAMA, through the development of its voluntary guide specification and subsequent certification program, has established a method by which products can be certified to be installed as intended.” The need for blast mitigation performance standards became a reality after terrorist attacks in the United States, according to Rich Walker, AAMA executive vice president. “Many government and private agencies began mandating that structures be designed to mitigate the severity of the explosive impact of a bomb or accidental blast—but few testing procedures existed,” he continued. “AAMA answered the need for a certification program to verify continued compliance by licensing the use of its AAMA 510-06 document (Voluntary Guide Specification for Blast Hazard Mitigation for Fenestration Systems) to Archi- tectural Testing Inc.” The certification program allows for both product-specific and project-specific certifications so that specifiers can be assured that products they approve consistently meet the program requirements. According to Walker, a typical manufactured window or door can be certified for a period up to eight years, with ongoing quality control monitoring similar to that used for the AAMA Gold Label Certification Program. In the case of project-specific certification, verification is made by the program Administrator at the manufacturing plant and the job site to validate the manufacturer’s certification specific to one project. AAMA 510-06, The Voluntary Guide Specification for Blast Hazard Mitigation for Fenestration Systems, can be downloaded free from the AAMA web site at http://www.aamanet.org/general.asp?sect=1&id=244. Printed copies or a CD version can be purchased from the AAMA Online Publications Store at www.aamanet.org or by calling 847/303-5664. Toledo Museum Glass Pavilion Opens The Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art, which opened recently, houses one of the world’s finest international glass collections, and its outside walls and many of the interior walls are made of Optiwhite low-iron glass, supplied by hometown glass manufacturer Pilkington North America. The pavilion, the first American project by Tokyo architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa and their firm, SANAA, uses 150,000 square feet of the low-iron glass on the building’s perimeter. The 15-foot tall structure is made of approximately 342 glass panels, ranging in size and curvature. The main level includes not only the large glass collection, but also glass blowing studios which are used by local artists and for classes. The free-standing glass pavilion stands across from the Toledo Museum’s main building. Oldcastle Glass Acquires Antamex Oldcastle Glass has acquired Toronto-based Antamex International Inc., a privately-held supplier of high-performance curtainwall systems and engineering design services for commercial, institutional and multi-story condominium construction markets. Antamex will become the cornerstone of Oldcastle Glass Envelope, which will handle a range of architectural glass, operable windows, storefronts, doors and curtainwall products designed to close the building envelope. By narrowing the number of vendors required in building construction projects, Oldcastle Glass Envelope is designed to allow architects, developers and glazing contractors to reduce inherent risks, minimize costs, and close the building envelope more quickly and efficiently. “By virtue of its engineering design capability, Antamex participates in commercial construction projects from their earliest stage,” said Ted Hathaway, CEO, Oldcastle Glass. “This acquisition puts Oldcastle Glass in a unique position to seamlessly integrate building envelope products and services, including architectural glass and custom-engineered curtainwall.” TRACO Building Georgia Facility TRACO, Cranberry Township, Pa., is building a 180,000-square-foot facility in Bainbridge, Ga., to augment its current capability to produce impact resistant window and door systems for its retail and residential markets. Bainbridge is located in the southwest corner of Georgia. “Our strategy is to continue to meet the demands of the marketplace,” explained Robert P. Randall, president and CEO. The company’s impact resistant window and door products are designed to fit the needs of coastal area markets. GANA Bulletin on Safety Glazing The Glass Association of North America (GANA) has released a Glass Information Bulletin, Differences Between Safety Glazing Standards, that focuses on the differences in methodology between two safety glazing standards: CPSC 16 CFR Part 1201 and ANSI Z97.1. A list of specific topics addressed by the bulletin includes: application, test specimens, types of glass, asymmetrical glazing material, impact categories or levels, pass-fail impact criteria, labeling, certification, impact testing apparatus, weathering tests, modulus and hardness tests, and indoor aging tests. “GANA has received numerous questions and requests as to the differences between CPSC 16 CFR Part 1201 and ANSI Z97.1,” explained Stanley L. Smith, GANA executive vice president. “As a response to these requests, the association has created this newest bulletin to serve as a cursory examination of the differences between the two standards.” Differences Between Safety Glazing Standards, as well as other GANA Glass Informational Bulletins, may be downloaded free of charge from GANA’s Web site www.glasswebsite.com. Mirror Standard Group Formed A task group is being formed to review and update ASTM International ASTM C 1503 01-Standard Specification for Silvered Flat Glass Mirror. According to ASTM consensus standard procedures, the 2001 standard must be reviewed for re-approval, or update within five years of publication. Lee Harrison, president of Walker Glass Ltd. who led the original development of the standard, will serve as the update task group chairman. Task group participation is open to all interested parties and does not require ASTM membership. Successful glasstec Show Draws International Industry glasstec, the biennial international trade fair for the architectural glass industry, took place the end of October, and drew more than 54,000 visitors to see the products and services of more than 1,300 companies, associations and research institutes from 46 countries. “glasstec is the only trade fair worldwide to showcase the entire spectrum of the glass sector and has proven again this year that the innovative potential of glass as a construction material and the operational excellence of manufacturers, fabricators and machinery manufacturers is far from being fully utilized,” commented Joachim Schaefer, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf. According to Schaefer, 60 percent of the visitors were interested in forward-looking categories such as thin special glass, insulating glass, laser technology, photovoltaics and solar thermal systems. About 60 percent of the attendees at glasstec 2006 came from outside of Germany–from one of 84 foreign countries ranging from Argentina to South Africa. Fire-Rated Wired Glass Patent SAFTI First Fire Rated Glazing Solutions, the San Francisco-based manufacturer of fire-rated glazing and framing products, has received a United States patent for its SuperLite I-W product. The patent covers any filming of wired glass, either applied at the manufacturing plant or in the field, to create a fire and impact safety rated product. According to SAFTI officials, SuperLite I-W is the only safety wired glass product that meets the impact safety standard CPSC 16CFR 1201 Cat. I and II and passes NFPA 252 and 257. This means it can be used in fire doors and other assemblies in high traffic areas where it may be accidentally impacted by children and adults. “This cost effective product achieves a high safety impact rating by using a tough, fire rated film applied to the glass,” explains William O’Keeffe, president and CEO of the company. “Traditional wired glass does not meet CPSC safety glazing standards.” Architects' Guide to Glass & Metal © Copyright 2007 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission. |