Sun and Sand or Desk and Mouse?

Last Monday I traveled down to Sanibel Island, Fla., to report on the 8th annual conference of the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA). The weather on the 12-mile long island, famous for its beaches filled with unique shells, reached the low 80s before I left. Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

I’m sure that the sunny shores of Florida (in January, no less) are a great temptation to members of any association—or the industry at large—to participate in industry meetings. But for those individuals who haven’t found an opportunity to get involved—why not?

The IGMA Certification and Education committee asked a similar question during last week’s meeting. The group questioned how to best provide its educational seminars to individuals who haven’t yet taken part (CLICK HERE to read that story). Specifically, the committee considered whether it should offer its Preventing Insulating Glass Failure seminar (and an upcoming seminar on IG quality procedures) at industry trade shows in the future, or reserve it for online use where interested individuals could access it at their leisure.

Certainly the use of online webinars, and even “virtual expos,” are greatly increasing. These educational tools offer the benefit of being able to take part from the comfort of one’s own chair (many even feature virtual “hands” you can raise to ask questions during a presentation). I’ve listened in on many a webinar to bring an afternoon of education to our readers.

However, it can be argued that webinars are lacking in one important feature—networking opportunities such as those gained during coffee breaks, group dinners and the occasional volleyball tournament. Of course, in this day and age where individuals can search for their soul mate online, email networking isn’t entirely impossible …

Another possibility suggested by the committee was offering its seminars in those metropolitan areas where large numbers of the target audience reside. Again, it increases the convenience level, but it may leave out many other people who might still resist travel but are otherwise interested.

Both are good options sure to draw new participants, as we’ve learned here.

The USGlass/USGNN.com™ online message forum aims to build relationships and networking via the web. It’s one place where individuals in the industry can turn to ask questions as they arise, getting answers not only from our online editors but also from their colleagues in the industry.

If you are in fact looking for educational opportunities to come to you, and bringing the networking opportunities that entails, consider the regional Glass Expos sponsored by USGlass magazine. Our March issue will feature a preview of the upcoming Glass TEXpo™ ‘08 to be held April 10-12 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. More information about the upcoming expos can be found HERE.

Where do you turn for your continued education? Whatever method you choose, I hope USGlass plays a part.

Are You Ready For Some Curtainwall?

First, let me just say that I am not a football fan. Yes, I’ll admit it: when watching the Super Bowl, I turn down the volume on the game and turn it up for halftime and commercials—if the game is turned on at all. But due to the fact that a new and significant person in my life lives, breathes and eats (almost) entirely for the Washington Redskins, I found myself in recent months putting down my book to high-five the aforementioned significant other when the team makes a touchdown, or gains yards or, occasionally, because the chili made for that week’s game was really, really good.

And, yes, I do have a maroon and gold tee-shirt that I have been required to wear for several games because the first time I wore it the ’Skins won (clearly, that tee has since been retired).

So as you can imagine, I held my breath when it slipped out over dinner one night that I was even considering profiling the new Dallas Cowboys football stadium due to its use of unitized curtainwall systems.

In a recent interview, Larry Long, president of Oldcastle Glass Engineered Walls in Dallas, told me that the company had supplied the curtainwall system for the new stadium.

“It’s all unitized—375,000 square feet of curtainwall,” Larry told me. “It’s just huge. It’s got 5,000 units on it.”

Oldcastle has been engineering the project for more than eight months now, and began shipping units in late December. Haley-Greer Inc., also of Dallas, is installing the glass for this project.

“It’s supposed to have the world’s largest retractable all-glass doors,” I related over dinner, trying to stress the unique use of glass and not my traitorous interest in the rival team’s project.

The boyfriend took this all relatively well. “Hm. Well. Are you writing anything about the Nationals’ new stadium? There’s supposed to be a lot of glass involved there.”

True, true. For now I’ll offer this link on the new baseball stadium in Washington, D.C., and its use of glass. But be prepared somewhere down the road for the sports issue of USGlass …

In the meantime, if you want to talk football, leave USGlass blogger Max Perilstein a comment here. If you want to talk about unitized curtainwall, send me an email at mheadley@glass.com!

Best and Worst

I can still remember sitting in the back of the high school auditorium, legs propped up on the stiff back of the chair in front of me, bemusedly watching my high school classmates singing and acting silly for our class’ Senior Night. Being pretty shy, I had never really been one for after-school activities, but even I was touched by the thought of graduation being only days away and knowing I might never again see many of the characters I’d grown up with.

Following the concerts, standup and skits, the audience was entertained with a list of nominees for the class superlatives. I can hardly remember most of the categories or winners; I’m sure it was the usual—“Most Popular,” “Best Dressed,” “Class Clown,” “Most Likely to Go to Prison Instead of College,” etc.—that all high schools have. But you can only imagine my embarrassment when I heard the emcee call out the category “quietest,” followed by my name and a long pause; that’s right, I was the only nominee. Believe me, the last thing the shy kid wants is to be recognized for being so quiet!

So many years later, I’m now in the process of putting together my own list of “superlatives” of sorts. That is, USGlass is gearing up for its Fourth Annual Big Book of Lists, to be featured in the March 2008 issue. I’m planning to spare you, Readers, such categories as “Most Popular” and “Best Dressed” (unless those are the lists you’ve been anxiously awaiting—I’d like to see those nominations!). Instead, we’ll be ranking the glass industry’s top manufacturers, fabricators, distributors and retailers, organized by product type, revenue and even number of years in business.

This year's list will also once again feature the list of top glazing contractors, with a description of each company in addition to information about locations and size. If you’re looking to see where you fall among your peers, look no further.

In addition, this year’s Book of Lists will be featuring such first-time categories as top minority-owned businesses; top women-owned businesses; top glass retailers; and top glass franchises.

Of course, this is all dependent upon the responses we receive from you, Readers. Luckily, becoming a part of the Book of Lists is simple; CLICK HERE to fill out a form. Please fill out the forms in their entirety to be considered. Forms are due by January 18, 2008.

If you have any questions—or suggestions for lists you would like to see—drop me a line or post a comment here. Or feel free to share the superlatives you received so many years ago—I know I’ve met a couple of Class Clowns and Most Likely to Succeeds out there!

No Assembly Required

Although not a parent myself, I have enough friends and cousins in that boat to know that the holiday season brings out the handyman in parents rushing to assemble bike parts, dollhouses and race car tracks in the late night hours when Santa is supposed to be visiting.

Last year, my mom and stepdad bought themselves a fun toy (although addressed to my siblings and I) and spent their New Year’s Eve assembling a pool table from a box. This year it was my turn; my Dad bought me a terrific wine rack that can be made to fit into nearly any space available. The catch? It has to be assembled entirely from scratch (pegs and slats with pre-drilled holes provided) before it can hold a single bottle of Shiraz.

USGlass/USGNN.com web assistant Kim recalls the toy car wash/gas station she received for Christmas one year. She was old enough to know the sad truth about Santa, so spent Christmas day helping her parents with the assembly of the intricate little pieces.

Wendy, online reporter for USGNN.com, said that there was no way she would be staying up this Christmas Eve putting together toys; the Laugh & Learn learning home she bought for her young son came already (mostly) assembled. Even the big plastic toy, however, had its share of tiny screws that Wendy rushed to attach before her curious toddler found them.

Can you blame Wendy for wanting everything already assembled? Who wouldn’t want their bikes and dollhouses and pool tables to come ready to go?

Well, what about those glazing contractors who want their curtainwall to come already assembled? In the February USGlass we’ll be revisiting a topic touched on in our August 2006 issue (CLICK HERE to read “Short Cuts”), the use of unitized curtainwall products. Who wouldn’t want to use these largely preassembled systems? No, that’s not a rhetorical question. We’re looking for information about the benefits, as well as the drawbacks, of these systems and why you have, or have not, turned to using them in your projects. Post your comments here, or send me an e-mail at mheadley@glass.com, to be included in this feature.

Or feel free to post here if you just want to share the fun no-assembly-required items you received this year for Christmas!

Senate Sets Timeline for Zero-Net-Energy

Last week the Senate passed H.R. 6, Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (CLICK HERE for more information about the bill). While most news articles are focusing on how this bill will affect automobile fuel efficiency, the bill does have a provision that sets a timeline for creating zero-net-energy commercial buildings, which I’ve talked about in several earlier posts.

Section 422 of the bill requires that the appointed commercial director of the Office of High Performance Green Buildings (established by the bill) lead the zero-net-energy commercial building initiative to reduce the quantity of energy consumed by commercial buildings and achieve the development of zero-net-energy commercial buildings. The commercial director, working with the High-Performance Green Building Partnership Consortium (also created by the bill), will conduct research and benchmarking on design and materials; offer technical assistance activities to encourage adoption of technology and products; provide training for “building professionals and trades;” and support state and local code-setting organizations in developing minimum performance standards that “recognize the ready availability of many technologies utilized in high-performance energy-efficient buildings.” The bill would also develop separate incentive strategies for builders and purchasers, and landlords and tenants. The section authorizes set appropriations through 2018.

This bill, like H.R. 3221, sets a timeline; this one would require any new commercial buildings after 2030, fifty percent of commercial building stock after 2040 and all commercial buildings after 2050 be zero-net-energy.

H.R. 6 has been moved to the House, where it awaits another vote. If it, or another bill like it is passed, what will be the implications for the glass industry? What will be the biggest challenges toward going net-zero? Post your thoughts here.

A Time to Give

As the holidays approach, it’s been getting festive here at our office. We recently took part in the tenth annual Festival of Trees, a local event that included a silent auction of decorated Christmas trees. Proceeds from the auction went toward the Hope House, which provides shelter for homeless women and children in the area.

Our office decorated a tree according to the theme “A Storybook Christmas.” Being a publishing company, it seemed only right to promote the wonderful books written about the holiday season. Our little tree was filled with familiar ornaments—Rudolph, Frosty and the Nutcracker, for example—and the referenced books were nestled among the branches. It turned out to be a fun way to get ready for the holidays, in addition to a great way to give back to the community.

We’re also preparing for our annual Secret Santa gift exchange next week. I’m not sure if it’s like this in other offices, but there’s always a group here that will analyze each detail of every present, from when and how it is delivered to the type of packaging used, to try and guess the Secret Santa of every individual in the office. It’s amazing how the holidays can bring out the competitive side of people!

How does your office celebrate the holidays? Do you decorate and exchange gifts? Do you give back to the community? Do you get together for a special meal? Please share your stories by sending me an email or commenting here. (Our social committee will appreciate any ideas you can send their way!)

Also be sure to let the staff of USGNN know if you are planning to close for the holidays. An announcement will be run on the daily newsletter next week—yes, next week is already the week before Christmas!—to let your customers and colleagues know when your office will be closed. You can reach the survey HERE to respond.

My Net-Zero Reading List

I’ve been doing a little reading this last week about net-zero energy buildings. USGNN.com ran a story on August 14 about the pending legislation that would require net-zero energy commercial buildings by 2050 (the House has passed this bill and now it sits waiting for the Senate) – you can see that story HERE. The term net-zero energy is used because it isn’t that these buildings don’t use any energy at all, they just don’t use more energy than they’re able to produce. What I’ve found so exciting is that in every article about this that I’ve read, glass and window performance is featured prominently.

The technology needed to create these net-zero buildings doesn’t just involve ways of creating energy, such as through solar power. It also involves limiting the amount of energy that is used. It’s the same emphasis on energy efficiency but to a whole new level.

I asked in an earlier post if you think net-zero energy buildings are really attainable. But it seems like many people out there do in fact think this is possible – the designers of Integrated Design Associates’ (IDeAs) new corporate headquarters, for instance. Check out the IDeAs Z2 Design Facility, a very real net-zero building, HERE and notice how prominently daylighting and “advanced glazing” are featured on the website.

One of many interesting facts about this building is that it was actually a remodel—so individuals who believe that net-zero energy may be attainable in new construction but not retrofits may lose some of their argument after reading about this project.

Kim Swanson with EHDD Architecture, the firm that helped to design the remodel, explained to me during a recent conversation that the building started out as a concrete block that had few to no windows. “Part of getting the zero-energy is getting some daylight,” Swanson said. So the first step for EHDD was cutting into the concrete on the south façade to create room for a full wall of sliding glass doors.

The building also now sports a number of skylights. “We cut a dozen or so skylights into the existing roof also … so we could rely on daylight as much as possible,” Swanson said.

In addition to high performance glass throughout, the building also features electrochromic glass on its East façade.

Daylighting and electrochromic – those words pop up frequently in articles about net-zero energy buildings. But in what other ways can the glass industry contribute to these requirements and make net-zero energy a reality? Post your comments on this blog or feel free to drop me a line at mheadley@glass.com. Or share what you’re reading these days and see if that makes it into next week’s blog!