GANA Makes a Difference_feature, USGlass, November 2010

Volume 45, Issue 11 - November 2010

feature

GANA Makes a Difference
The Glass Association of North America Educates and Advocates in 2010
The Glass Association of North America (GANA) and its volunteers work continually on changing the industry for the better. In 2010, the association made several significant strides in providing education on glass to a variety of audiences, including architects, the solar industry, code officials and, of course, professionals in the glass industry. Below are a few of the ways in which GANA has aims to make a difference.

Presentations
• Received accreditation through the American Institute of Architects for two educational courses: Protective Glazing 101 and Introduction to Decorative Glazing; and
• Held a one-day symposium on solar glazing in conjunction with the summer meetings of ASTM Committee E44 on Solar, Geothermal and Other Alternative Energy Sources.

Publications
• Released a new technical publication, the Protective Glazing Manual, a joint effort with the Protective Glazing Council
International; and
• Re-released an updated version of the Guide to Architectural Glass, formerly known as the Specifiers Guide to Architectural Glass.

Technical
• Published/re-published three new glass informational bulletins:
Detention Facility Glazing,
LEED® Recycled Content for Glass, and
Emergency Egress Through Laminated Glazing Materials; and
• Released two white papers on LEED® and its relevance to the glazing industry, specific to decorative glazing and mirrors.

Advocacy
• Reformed the Glazing Industry Code Committee under the GANA Association umbrella;
• Successfully appealed restrictive changes to ASHRAE’s 90.1 standard (see page 10); and
• Co-sponsored High Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition Briefing on Building STAR.

APPLICATION FOR GANA MEMBERSHIP

http://www.glasswebsite.com/about/application.htm

Great Products from GANA’s Members
Glass Association of North America Members Share New and Notable Products

The Glass Association of North America’s (GANA) member companies are responsible for shaping the industry both through their work in the association and through supplying safe, sustainable and striking products for the construction of new buildings. Read over the next 10 pages for a sample of the latest products produced by GANA’s members.

glass
AGC’S U4 Coating Delivers
R5 Performance in an IGU
AGC Flat Glass North America in Alpharetta, Ga., has introduced U4 4th Surface Technology™, which it says allows double-glazed units to achieve the same levels of efficiency as costlier triple-glazed units.
The U4 4th Surface Technology system incorporates a patent-pending pyrolytic low-E hard coating that can be installed on the fourth surface of the insulating glass unit (IGU). This coating technology enables manufacturers to use two low-E coatings in one IGU, resulting in an R5-rated glass package in a double-glazed unit.
The company reports that adding U4 coating to a double-glazed IGU reduces the center of glass U-factor by as much as 20 percent compared to standard IGU configurations with one low-E coating. The U-factor reduction gained with the coating improves the whole window performance by 16 percent when compared to a standard glass package. With the addition of the new coating to the room-surface of the inner pane (surface #4), the window is able to reflect energy to the inside as well as to the outside. This reduction improves the overall insulating properties by as much as 15 to 20 percent over conventional IGUs.
yyä www.u4glass.com
Pilkington’s Solar-E™ is Now
Available in More Colors
Pilkington in Toledo, Ohio, is expanding its architectural line of energy-efficient solar control low-E products. The Solar-E™ coating, with its low solar heat gain coefficients and low reflectivity, is now available on a palette of natural colors—Arctic blue, blue-green and grey—to complement Solar-E on clear and other lines of pyrolytic low-E products.
The Solar-E family of products provides a combination of aesthetics and performance values with the same benefits of the on-line hard coat technology. It can be bent, insulated, laminated and tempered, and edge deletion is not required. It also can have a ceramic or frit applied to the coated surface for spandrels or a silkscreen pattern can be applied for the vision lites. It has an unlimited shelf life, and will not oxidize or change color over time.
yyä www.pilkington.com
curtainwall
Clearwall™ Delivers Monolithic
Look for Low-Rise Applications
To provide a monolithic look for low-rise applications, Kawneer Co. Inc. in Norcross, Ga., has introduced its Clearwall™ curtainwall. The four-sided toggle glazed (TG) system features a breakthrough glass retaining mechanism. The company says its new curtainwall is a cost-effective alternative to four-sided systems, and its unique toggle mechanism reduces installation labor, simplifies onsite logistics and enhances safety while providing superior aesthetics.
The toggle mechanically captures the inboard lite of the IGU and is designed to rotate in place and automatically lock when the fastener is installed. Each toggle captures an edge of adjacent lites, increasing the efficiency of installation. Screw spline construction and straight cuts without any notching simplifies fabrication. Clearwall curtainwall features two mullion depths for design flexibility.
Clearwall is offered in two other glazing options, each accommodating 1-inch insulating glass and using the toggle system. Options incorporate an attached interface to the glass with structural silicone or 3M™ VHB™ structural glazing tape.
yyä www.kawneer.com