Glass In Schools

This week a really interesting debate popped up over the usage of glass on the interiors of a new elementary school in Boulder, Colorado.  The issue at hand was that the design is calling for a very open floor plan (which as we know is very popular these days in business structures) and some believe that would potentially put the children at extra risk if there were a school attack.  I struggle with this on many levels.  First... the protection of the children needs to happen from the exterior entrances.  Once someone with evil intent enters any structure any layout could be exploited.  There have been great strides with exterior protective systems specifically for schools (Childgard via Global Security Glazing is one I am familiar with) and more designers are laying out the entrances of schools with attacks in mind.  Another other issue is the “living in fear” factor.  Shouldn’t we want the best possible educational environment for our children?  So if this is it, then we should not penalize them by forcing the kids into thoughtless, boring shelter like structures.  If we want to keep them safe we need to do it in other ways. The glass on the interior can be beefed up to offer extra protection, but obviously if someone gets through the doors and wants to do harm, nothing will stop them.  Regardless I hope this school moves forward and does what it needs to in meeting the educational and safety needs of its students.  By the way this story should give pause to the glass industry that our product is once again looked at as the weak link in the building.  That too is not good.

Elsewhere…

--  A hearty congrats to old friend Scott Hoover after he signed on with Solaria as their VP of Sales, Building Solutions for North America.  I was not at all familiar with Solaria but after digging into it I am excited for Scott and for what this company will bring to the industry space.  As everyone who reads this knows I am a big supporter of advanced technology, so I’ll surely be rooting for success here. 

--  Speaking of things I have been hitting on, the North American Contractor Certification (NACC) organization released a new Program Procedure Guide.  This new document is helpful in understanding the process and requirements for this important industry program.  Check it out HERE.

--  Fun visual of the week?  Tweets from Brian Savage of Viracon.  He tweeted the following pictures before a blizzard rolled in and then halfway through the blizzard

And you know those Minnesota people are tough, blizzard rolls in and they still work their entire shifts- no rushing home for them!

--  Friend of the blog and all around good guy Joe Carlos of Triview Glass sent me a wild link.  This story on a Burger King having all of its windows broken is one to check out.  After I watched it, my thoughts were surely that a glass company needing some business was behind it!

--  Next week I’ll have my Super Bowl commercial thoughts.  I am sure you can’t wait for that! 

Last this week; my favorite airport rankings brought a lot of discussion and other options.  A major thank you to everyone who reached out via Twitter, comments, and e-mail.  Some of the airports that came up in the various discussions…

Raleigh-Durham- I do like this airport, agree for a mid sized one its good.

Minnesota-St. Paul- A few hit me on this and it probably should be in the top discussion.  It’s gigantic but it does have tons of amenities/option and I totally forgot about that. 

Flint- Flown out of there many times- easy airport to work through, though food options are a bit light for me.

Portland, OR- For me it’s decent- nice open concourse but not top 5 worthy.

San Jose, CA- I have never been through there, I assume it has to be better than going through SFO or Oakland if you are going to that region.

John Wayne-Orange County, CA- Been awhile since I have flown through there.

Denver- I have never been a fan; to me it’s always cramped, and not great options.  Plus for some reason I always lose the rental car battle there- in the winter, all that’s ever available are rear wheel drive cars.  In the summer, giant SUV’s. 

Hopefully I’ll hit some new and different airports this year and we’ll look at this again in 2017.

LINKS of the WEEK

Did you have or attend a Super Bowl party?  If so, you may be at extra risk for the flu!

I can’t believe Amazon is actually going to have retail stores.  Makes zero sense to me.

The Burger King Extra Long Buttery Cheeseburger.  I am absolutely sure it’s good for your diet!

VIDEO of the WEEK

Young man plays a high school hockey game just hours after his dad passes away… and scores the winning goal in overtime.  Got chills just typing it, teared up while watching it.