Seriously, this thing is real...

So I have been banging on the “glass capacity” issue for a while now and this week I chatted with several people who are dealing with this growing problem.  First, there’s still folks unaware that glass, especially ¼” clear, is getting harder and harder to get.  That is on everyone in the chain.  Suppliers, Fabricators, Glaziers, and the media… Communicating about what is happening in the industry is a must.  And while this issue has not affected the entire industry yet, the way it is heading I am pretty sure it will… so as I have said before- be proactive.  On that note, I did hear from a few people who are struggling with the best ways to be proactive.  Some fabricators are developing programs to reserve glass but some of those programs carry risk side (penalties if you don’t take the glass when scheduled is one), and with the volatile schedules of the general contractor, the glaziers are wary about commitments.  Last the fear is by struggling to get glass, we as an industry could be setting ourselves up for losing that part of the building to other materials.  Now while I don’t see “glass-less” buildings, designers could choose to go with less glass area… which is scary and ironic since we fought so hard to deflect efforts to limit glass usage in the codes.  So again its communication through the chain, as this is a legitimate issue and one that is not going to go away quickly.  Making sure everyone knows what the obstacles are, being truthful with lead-times, pushing for guaranteed sizes etc.  In the end, all of these things, as well as other proactive measures will help and also make everyone more efficient to boot.   And if you have not been touched with this tightening of materials, congrats, but be prepared as I have good feeling you will.

Elsewhere…

--  I know I say it over and over, but sometimes when something is so good, it deserves the constant repeating. Katy Devlin’s blogs on Glass Magazine are not to be missed.  Last week’s recap of a facades conference was incredible.  So good that I think I may need to take a few months off to recharge because my stuff is not even in the same stratosphere. 

  

--  On my last post I noted one of the buildings that was chosen as “the coolest” in 2014 and wondered who fabricated the glass… well sure enough it did not take long for the always-excellent Bill Coady of Guardian to pipe up with the info.  The glass used was Guardian SunGuard Neutral 40 on #2 and Neutral 78/65 on #5. (Triple Pane) The glass was fabricated by Garibaldi Glass-Burnaby.  Congrats to all and thank you Mr. Coady for reading the blog and replying!

 --  Great news this week about a good friend of mine, Steve Cohen.  PPG announced that Steve has joined them as National Architectural Manager-Northeast.  Quite a coup for PPG since I believe Steve is one of the most talented guys in our industry.  And while I am biased since I like Steve personally, I can tell you from a professional side in dealing with him, the guy is fantastic.  Great move for both sides here.

Last this week… two more sets of lists since I love those things…

--  The top 25 Architectural “fails” and the top 5 commercial construction trends.  The “fail” piece is just mindless fun… but the trends piece is pretty interesting and does relate to our world some.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Why do I have a feeling when the Apple Watch comes out, the FitBit is done?  Stuff like this won’t help them stay alive that’s for sure.

--  Another app for parents to track their kids in school…

--  Great story on when people are looking out for their fellow man… or child.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Cool video of a ping pong trick shot….