Members of the Glass Association of North America are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day by taking a moment to reflect on how the glass and glazing industry has long supported the green movement globally in construction.  Below are thoughts from our members.

 

 

We all want to live and work in spaces where the light and beauty of the outside world are part of our inside space. Then again, buildings consume more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy, the DOE and others say. The glass industry is part of the solution to that conundrum. Sure, we all know our story inside the industry: High performance windows and advanced technology in glazing materials are key factors in making our homes and offices more energy efficient and environmentally sound. The raw materials for glass are plentiful and sustainable. Glass is a valuable element of solar energy -- and so on. The challenge is making sure folks outside our industry are getting the message on the value we bring to society on Earth Day -- and every other day.
 

Earnest Thompson, Guardian Industries Corp.

  

Finding ways to conserve energy and recycle materials has not only been important, it has now become an economic reality and vital part of our national security. I am proud to be a part of a great industry that has always looked for ways to protect the earth while balancing the needs of the construction world.
 

Ted Derby, LCG Facades

  

Glass is of the earth, silica turned transparent, into a material that is highly durable and highly recyclable. The glazing industry enhances glasses architectural sustainability with high performance coatings. The coatings balance light and heat in a building and reduce energy consumption, impacting a building’s carbon footprint. Combined, these attributes and benefits contribute to zero-energy buildings.
 

Paul A. LaBerge, LEED® AP+BD&C, Apogee Enterprises, Inc.

  

Our industry, including glazing manufacturers and framing manufacturers, has worked together to develop and promote energy efficient products longer than much of the population has been alive. Glass recycling at the melting and forming stage has been a practice since the turn of the century (the 19th century, that is!) More than 25% of all aluminum used in framing is recycled during the extrusion or fabrication processes. Aluminum from demolished buildings or as a result of remodeling is recycled into new framing on a frequent basis. Wood and vinyl products are also increasingly recycled as well. Insulating glass was developed by the industry more than a half century ago. This product, combined with glass coatings and tints, Low-E, warm edge spacers and gas filling provide a wide range of green products for the architect.

Energy efficient vinyl frames, fiberglass frames, composite frames and clad wood frames allow the assembled window to approach efficiency levels and durability not dreamed of 50 years ago. Improvements in seals and gaskets has allowed levels of improvement which have resulted in two reductions of allowable air leakage since the 1940’s. Most of the applicable standards and test methods pertaining to fenestration performance were developed by our industry in order to effectively measure the improvements introduced by that same industry. Partnership with architects and government agencies has advanced this country’s level of fenestration efficiency by significant amounts.

The energy performance standards developed by an industry, code and government consortium called NFRC has radically changed the way the world views thermal performance. In all of these areas our industry continues to lead the way toward a greener, more energy efficient and structurally sound fenestration design. All of our companies can be proud on Earth Day of our long and continuous effort to provide efficient fenestration products to the world.
 

Carl Wagus, Pittco Architectural Metals, Inc.

  

When I think of glass I think of an incredible and versatile product with ingredients that come from the earth and with a make-up that can always be recycled. Plus glass also takes advantage one of the Earth's greatest resources, natural light! More glass and less artificial light equals a much more enjoyable living experience!
 

Max Perilstein, Arch Aluminum and Glass Co., Inc.

  

Skyline Design has always been a big supporter of the planet. Glass is without question the most environmentally sound material in the building industry; allowing warm health-giving sunlight in while keeping undesirable elements out. The possibilities of design are endless, giving architects and glazers an incredible tool to create beautiful structures that are environmental functional and cost effective.

At Skyline, all of our scrap glass is recycled, and we strive for thoughtful examination of our design, production and manufacturing practices as well as our sampling and disposal processes. The Skyline message is mindfully passed on to our A&D and Glazing communities. In the past 26 years, what we have seen from our client base is increased public awareness, knowledge and support; as well as partnership regarding environmental responsibility. LEED has certainly helped with this, as well as increased news, publication and organization regarding industry responsibility and of course, the current economic/resource concerns. Regardless of the drivers, the message has certainly gotten out there, and as a glass community, we should continue to spread the world. For our glazing community, the glazers are the link between the manufacturer and the client; and I have great hopes that the environmental momentum not only will, but should continue.
 

Charlie Rizzo, Skyline Design

  

There can be no meaningful dialogue about green building construction without consideration for glazing, or “transparent wall openings”. Everyone knows that freezer chests and hot water heater tanks with heavily insulated walls make the most energy-efficient envelopes. Trouble is, no one wants to live, work, or go to school in one. As long as we keep building buildings, we’ll probably continue to keep the primary goal in mind: desired occupancy. And that usually means that while indoors, occupants prefer to have some connectivity to the outdoors. Thank goodness for transparent wall openings and for the responsible reaction our industry has made to higher performing glass and glazing solutions while utilizing more environmentally responsible materials. We’ve come a long way, but sustainability is a journey with no finish line.
 

Eddie Bugg PE, LEED AP, Kawneer Company, Inc.

  

Reflecting on the complexity of the modern day environment it is essential that in our development and design of process and product that we develop systems and solutions that are truly sustainable. Innovate with products and business practices that reinforce the true intent behind sustainability. The balanced development around Social, Environmental and Economic demands that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs - Brundtland Commission".
 

Albert Stankus, Technoform Glass Insulation NA, Inc.

  

Our design consciousness in the late 1970's in Colorado was to capture the vast amounts of sunshine to lighten spaces, as well as introduce passive solar heat to lessen our utility bills. The 1973 and 1979 oil crises created long lines of customers waiting at the gas pump, and/or for heating fuel, and the time was ripe to capture the warmth of the wavelengths passing through any aperture oriented to the sun. A lot of energy, (pun intended), with passive and active solar collection, was passed around in the design and building sectors to use glass to heat space, air, or water.

On the passive solar heating side, more glass was introduced into homes, and the first designs for passive solar heat collection were with the orientation of the solar glass walls and sloped glazing to the South. Turning toward the morning sun from the East was next for capturing the first rays of the day, and some overheating issues were raised with putting glass windows oriented to the West, which brought up issues of summer overheating, that coatings in windows needed to resolve later on. Glass was the aperture for the transmission of solar heat, and now buildings were also opened up to more natural daylighting.

(A case in point where we had to construct with more windows was when we did a siding takeoff for a residence before being involved with Passive Solar Design & Construction, and then after we incorporated more and more glass. We normally subtracted 15-18 % from the total exterior square footage of the siding on a new construction residence to accommodate for the windows and doors and waste factor, and then watched that subtraction soar to as much as 40 to 50%. Less siding/more glass.)

Now glass was introducing new challenges in design and application in buildings, leading to changing construction techniques for issues such as heat loss, (Low-emissivity coatings for heat loss from the interior, while having higher transmissivity for solar heat gain), collection and storage of the "free" heat, visible light transmittance for glare, and the brightening of previously dark spaces with more natural daylighting. Other design impacts were the construction of larger overhangs, and the development of strategies of building components to handle air infiltration, water migration, movement of building materials with changing temperatures, to name a few.

And the active solar markets began developing, with the need for the aperture to have high transmittance rates to absorb and transmit the passage of solar heat to collectors for solar hot water heating systems, as well as air systems. Low-iron glass had the highest transmission, and many original active solar systems used the opaque product that could withstand the impact of hail, yet allow solar heat to transmit into their systems.

The space industry made huge strides with the emerging photovoltaic markets, and early pioneers of photovoltaic panels needed glass to assist with this active solar system technology for buildings. These were some of the seeds of "Green"...

The divisions of our company, first with Sundicate Greenhouses evolving into Durango Solariums & Colorado Curtainwalls, then Colorado Warm Windows evolving into WarmVue Partnership LLC radiant heating glass conversions, were challenged by making wood-metal clad frames that could effectively respond to design and engineering issues of both frames and glass as unitized systems in buildings. Working with materials with disparate expansion and contraction coefficients-wood, metal & glass, heavy snow and wind loading design criteria, wind uplift on sloped glazing, as well as working with fade function for fabric & art and visible light transmission solutions, sitting next to previously cold glass windows now heated to neutralize occupancy discomfort and condensation---were just some of the challenges that emerged with the introduction of more and more glass into our living spaces. The glass industry has continued to respond to these challenges with increasing technological improvements and support.

We've used interior partitions of glass to allow the stream of natural daylighting, yet still separate interior spaces.

Glass has provided our associates and customers with the means to bring light and heat to spaces, (exceptional comfort now at night with heating glass and no condensation), and coatings have addressed solar heat gain and visible light transmittance issues. Glass provides the connection that everyone in a confined space desires, i.e., to be connected to the outside environment. "May I have the seat next to the warm window?" That is customer satisfaction and happiness, as well as a reduction in energy usage.

Glass helped many of our workers and their families with wonderful jobs and rewarding work.

It's a been a great ride, and the future is clear that the glazing industry will continue to produce even better solutions with the new technologies needed to respond to the demands of the building envelope. The "Green" movement may be recorded as a 21st century term, but glass has been part of the foundation of the green movement that really started on a mass scale in buildings over 30 years ago.
 
 

George E. Usinowicz, Durango Solariums, Inc.