Glass Associations Offer New
Membership Categories For Architects
Two glass industry associations, the Glass Association of North America (GANA) and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), offer special membership categories for those with an interest in glass and related applications but who are not employed by a manufacturing firm.
GANA offers an affiliate membership classification. These members pay the same dues structure as division members, but are listed separately in the GANA membership directory. Affiliate members receive the following benefits: discounted registration to GANA programs and conferences; participation in technical committee activities; technical support from the GANA technical director; glass and glazing building code updates through the Glazing Industry Code Committee; discounts on glass and glazing reference documents; the Glass Reflections newsletter; and complementary glass information bulletins.
AAMA is offering a professional membership category. Professional members will receive the AAMA newsletter and Certified Products Directory at no charge. They will also have access to the Member’s Only section of the AAMA website, which provides information on state building code adoptions, developments in fighting mold, drafts of standards that are being developed or updated and more.
Infowww.aamanet.org or call 847/303-5664.
Infowww.glasswebsite.com or call 785/271-0208.
| WIRED GLASS NEWS Oregon First State to Ban Wired Glass in Hazardous Locations Hearings officer Richard Rogers released a ruling last August for a code change proposal in Oregon, resulting in a decision that made Oregon the first state in the nation to ban the use of wired glass in hazardous locations. Oral testimonies were heard by a number of proponents and opponents of the code change proposal. The recommendation by the hearings officer stated that upon review of the code change proposals, exhibits and testimony that the “administrator proceed with the filing of permanent rules and printing of amendments to the Oregon Structural Specialty Codes as proposed, to be effective October 1, 2003, for all of the proposals sent forward to public hearing.” (For more information about wired glass in Oregon see the Winter 2003 Architects Guide to Glass & Metal, page 2.) CBS Evening News Reports on Potential Dangers of Wired Glass On April 9, 2004, the CBS Evening News ran a report that examined a number of accidents involving wired  glass, which had been used as a fire deterrent, in such applications as schools, hospitals and athletic facilities.Those interviewed for the report as wired glass opponents were Greg Abel with Advocates for Safe Glass and Oregon state senator Vicki Walker. “Once you go through [wired glass] you have to try and come back out, and all those shards of glass are being held into this penetrated opening,” said Abel, whose son was severely injured in a wired glass accident in 2001. Code consultant William Koffel was interviewed as a wired glass spokesperson. “Wired glass slows the spread of fire by staying in place, staying in the frame and not allowing flames and hot gasses to pass though the opening,” said Koffel in the report, who added that when used properly, wired glass would be a safe product. |
PPG Offers LEED Specification Summary
Now available from Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries is the Glass, Coatings and Paint USGBC (United States Green Building Council) LEED Specification Summary, which is designed to explain how
PPG products can be specified to earn Low Energy Electron Defraction (LEED) credits for building projects.
The eight-page white paper walks readers though the six LEED categories and explains which PPG products can be used to earn specific LEED credits.
Info www.ppgglazing.com or call 888/PPG-Spec.
| Industry Rumors of Acquisitions Abound In the glass and metal industry, it seems there’s always talk of companies buying companies. Sometimes the talks are just rumors and other times they are the real deal. For the past year one of the biggest rumors flooding the industry has been the question of who’s buying Kawneer from Alcoa. Sources have told the Architects Guide to Glass that bids for Kawneer have been made by a number of companies, including Apogee Enterprises, as well as others without ties to the glass industry. While Kawneer has yet to make a sales announcement, Bill Cralley, president and chief executive officer, confirmed the company is presently going through due diligence in anticipation of the sale. |
CSI Completes Content Development for MasterFormat™ 2004
The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has announced it has completed major content development for its 2004 edition of MasterFormat, its specifications-writing standard for North American nonresidential building design and construction projects.
“This is a tremendous milestone for the industry,” said Karl Borgstrom, CSI executive director. “After more than two and a half years of work, we’ve completed the structure and content of a resource that will advance project delivery for decades to come.”
MasterFormat is a master list of titles and section numbers for organizing data about construction requirements, products and activities. CSI says that by standardizing information.
CSI revises MasterFormat every five to seven years.
Info www.csinet.org/MasterFormat or call 800/689-2900.
ANSI Z97.1 Standard Nears Completion
After nearly nine years of discussions and debates the ANSI Z97.1 safety glazing standard is expected to be available later this year. The standard and its supporting materials have been submitted to ANSI for the final approval process. Once accepted, all documentation will be audited to ensure procedures were followed. Once that is complete the standard will be published and made available.
Upon publication the standard will be dormant for five years, though the steering committee will still remain active.
ANSI Z97.1 provides performance specifications and methods of testing for safety glazing materials used in buildings. Controversy surrounding the standard centered on whether wired glass should be classified as a safety-glazing product. Final balloting last spring resulted in keeping the references to wired glass in the standard.
Architect's Guide to Glass & Metal
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