feature

Green Scene
The City by the Bay Hosts the 2012 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

by Kaitlan Mitchell

Launched in 2002 and held this year in San Francisco, the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo continues to gather experts, industry leaders and frontline professionals to what’s been dubbed the world’s largest, sustainable building conference. When it comes to glass and glazing products, many are designed to meet the high-performance, energy-efficiency needs and demands of today’s commercial architecture.

Greenbuild attendees take a green view through the latest glazing products, leading technology and devices from a multitude of exhibitors. Take a look here for what some of those green-minded companies are displaying.

Technoform Bautec - Booth 3164:
Hot Topic
Technoform Bautec features its Bautec polyamide insulation strips that are manufactured from 100-percent, prime grade virgin material. These strips consist of continuously extruded high-performance nylon 6/6 polyamide with multi-directional 25 percent glass fiber reinforcement.

According to the company, the product’s composition allows aluminum fenestration and curtainwall manufacturers to provide thermal performance and structural integrity for design flexibility and increased life of fenestration products.
www.technoform-bautec.us

Azon – Booth 315S:
Frame Worthy
Azon, a thermal-barrier technology manufacturer for aluminum framing and insulating glass, is presenting its Warm-Light spacer, one of the company’s energy-efficient products that contribute to the condensation resistance of aluminum windows.

Manufactures can utilize the Warm-Light spacer for their insulating glass air spacer needs. Azon specializes in fenestration-assembly technology through the structural polyurethane pour and debridge-type thermal barriers in framing.
www.azonintl.com

Guardian Industries - Booth 1301S:
A Natural Choice
Guardian Industries presents a multitude of commercial, residential and interior glass products including its SunGuard EC, which utilizes electrochromic technology to transition from clear to tinted on demand. SunGuard EC also enables control of heat and glare in buildings while providing natural daylight. This product offers variable visible light transmittance and the solar heat gain coefficient to significantly reduce heating, ventilation and air conditioning energy usage in commercial buildings, especially during times of peak load, according to the company.

The company also is showcasing its ClimaGuard line for residential windows in various climates. This series includes, ClimaGuard 62/27, which offers low solar heat gain and abundant light. Likewise, ClimaGuard IS increases insulation value of low-E windows and ClimaGuard 80/70 was designed to take advantage of passive solar heat in cold, northern climates, conserving energy by insulating against heat loss.

The newest addition to the Guardian ClimaGuard family is HiLightR 802, which combines the efficiency of ClimaGuard 80/70 low-E glass with the insulating qualities of ClimaGuard IS-20. yyä
www.guardian.com

Quanex - Booth #3153N:
Gaining Solid Ground
Quanex is showing four of its products for energy efficiency and sustainability in residential or commercial structures. These include Super Spacer TriSeal, a flexible, warm edge spacer system that allows for the natural expansion and contraction of insulating glass. The company also is displaying MikronWood, a framing option made with a unique composite material that offers energy efficiency and low-maintenance features. SuperCapSR is a color technology that, according to the company, reflects 76 percent of infrared light, reducing solar heat gain and preventing heat-related distortion. The acrylic color layer is scratch-resistant and has no volatile organic compounds (VOC).
www.quanex.com

Zola Windows – Booth #222S:
Opening a Door of Possibilities
Zola is displaying its energy-efficient lift-slide doors. The product is available in all of the company’s glass and frame versions, and comes standard with a thermally broken, low-threshold aluminum sill. The sliding doors also include the option of exterior remote controlled shading or bug screens. In addition to profiling the door, Zola will present its tilt and turn windows that swing and tilt inwards with the German Roto Hardware handle. The product is made as single units; either left- or right-hand hung or double French units.
www.zolawindows.com

PPG Industries – Booth 1827S: A Distinct Finish
PPG Industries exhibits its Duranar coatings. The line has been reformulated and now contains a lead-free composition, solar reflectance index, expanded color range, optimized primer and other upgrades.

Duranar coatings are available in liquid and powder formulations, each offering unique performance characteristics. Liquid Duranar coatings offer appearance features including mica and metallic effects, and a smooth application. Powder Duranar coatings can be used for applications requiring hard abrasion- and scratch-resistant finishes. Made without solvents, Duranar powder coatings emit virtually no volatile organic compounds, according to the company.

In addition, PPG will feature its Ultra Cool coatings line, which now includes Duranar Ultra-Cool coatings and Durastar SMP Ultra-Cool coatings. Ultra-Cool coatings are a silicone-modified polyester alternative to Duranar Ultra-Cool coatings, which are based on a 70-percent fluoropolymer resin.
www.ppgideascapes.com

Kawneer and Traco – Booth 1713S:
Illuminating Ideas
Kawneer Co. Inc., and its Traco division will showcase a variety of sustainability products including the Trifab 601 series framing system and InLighten light shelf. The light shelf is designed to enhance natural light by reflecting sunlight deeper into the interior of a building by “bouncing” it up to the ceiling. This energy-saving product reduces perimeter lighting requirements and has the ability to attach the minimal sightline light shelf to multiple Kawneer curtainwall systems and storefront framing systems for new and retrofit projects, according to the company.

The Trifab 601 series framing system combines a 6-inch depth with thermal performance to deliver flexible options for a range of building applications. This new series provides three thermal levels: the non-thermal Trifab 601, the single thermal break Trifab 601T and the dual thermal break 601UT to bridge the gap between traditional framing systems and low-rise curtainwalls. According to Kawneer, the Trifab 601 series also allows building owners to take advantage of tax credit incentive programs and energy-efficient certifications, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

In addition, Traco is introducing its NX-4000 series thermal window, a projecting window with the look of a hung window. This product features Traco’s NexGen thermal barrier system, NexGen Energy Spacer, one-inch insulating glass and was tested to a design pressure of 80 psf and water performance level of 15 psf.
www.kawneer.com and www.traco.com

Rehau – Booth #1026:
A Clear View
Rehau is presenting Geneo, a fully reinforced polymer window profile system available without the use of steel components. The product is composed of Rau-Fipro, a proprietary fiber composite material similar to that employed in aeronautic construction and Formula 1 racing vehicles for its strength and load capacities.

Geneo also features a patented, integrated reinforcement system, with screw channels and additional lateral stiffening that ensure a high degree of strength at all critical points of the system. The Geneo window system is available in a range of environmental- and weather-resistant colors and a variety of window styles and shapes.
www.na.rehau.com/windows

Visit USGlass at Greenbuild
While walking the Greenbuild show floor be sure and stop by booth 1839S and say hello to members of the USGlass magazine team. You can pick up free copies of our magazines and sign up for free subscriptions to our print and digital editions as well as our free e-newsletter. We look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

USG
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