Seeing Clear

Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while now knows I’m a big fan of architectural glass—especially when it’s used in innovative, exciting applications. I’ve written about examining the glass in storefronts and hotel rooms, sometimes even crouching in the streets to see what type of glass is being used. I’ve even been in restaurant bathrooms where glass was used extensively, from the stall doors to the counter tops.

The most exciting, glass-clad bathroom I’ve yet to view was at Chicago’s Sushi Samba restaurant; I took the picture you see here of the entrance. It was dark in restaurant and a camera phone doesn’t take the best quality pictures, so it’s hard to see all of the glass and to truly get the full effect, but hopefully it will give you some idea of what it was like—I’d never seen anything like it. In addition to the floating glass mirrors, there were also frosted glass stall doors and even a glass shelf (you know, for a lady’s purse).

But there was more glass than just the restroom—railings, banisters, the bar top, walls. It was a lot of fun to see. You can go to the website, www.sushisamba.com and see a photo gallery of the Chicago restaurant, but it’s just not the same as seeing it for yourself.

Aside from the fact that Chicago is just a great city, it’s also a great place for glass and architecture--stroll down Michigan Avenue and you’ll see that. Lots of big cities are moving toward increasingly transparent architecture. You may have seen this story on USGNN.com yesterday

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/26/ST2007122601985.html that talked about how Washington, D.C. architects are taking their designs away from the boxy, brick and limestone buildings and using more glass.

Transparency is certainly an architectural trend these days and one that looks to have staying power for some time to come. Do you agree? Is transparency here to stay? Let us know what you think.

Safe & Sound

I’m going to share a story with you that, while may seem humorous at first, is actually, pretty scary. A while back I locked myself out of the house. I was in a hurry, my arms were full, and as I stepped into the garage, closing the door behind me I realized that I’d left the keys inside. Smart. Luckily, I had my purse and in it were my cell phone and my wallet. Good thing about that. It was a little after 5 p.m., I had to be somewhere at 5:30, and the drive to get there would take about 15 minutes.

So what did I do? I called my husband. Of course, I had no idea how he could help me, if at all, being that he was a good 45 miles away at work.

He asked me, “Do you have your purse?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a credit card or something like that?”
“Yes.”And on that note, over the telephone and in fewer than five minutes, he told me exactly how to jimmy that door open with a credit card. I grabbed my keys and was off (after relocking the door, of course.)

As I drove, all I could think was, it can be just that easy to break into someone’s home. Now, this particular door, which goes from the kitchen to the garage, has a simple lock; if there had been a deadbolt I would have been out of luck. I know this is nothing you don’t already know—locks can be easy to break.

We are living in a world where the need for security is increasing. I know when I’m at home every door and window is locked. Look at big offices and buildings with their sleek all-glass entrance systems. Building owners and managers want to know exactly who is coming and going inside their offices.

Not only are we seeing more electrified access control systems, but more biometrics, too. With biometrics, entrance is granted based on individual biological characteristics, such as a fingerprint. Fingerprints and retina scans are a lot tougher to steal or copy than a PIN number or a swipe card.

I’d like to know, what’s the glass industry think of biometrics? Have you been exposed to this type of product? If not, how much more are you doing with electrified systems these days? And what do you foresee for the future when it comes to keeping buildings—especially those with glass entrance systems—more secure? Let us know what you think.

My Specific Top 5 Industry Events and Why

Over the past almost eight years I've done my fair share of travel, from the exciting to the not-so exciting; big cities to small cities. And as we come to the end of 2007 and prepare for all the travel that awaits us in 2008, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite events.

#5: GANA’s Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Educational Seminar for Project Managers, June 1-3, 2000 in Dallas (today called the Contract Glazier’s Educational Conference). This was my very first industry educational conference. I went not knowing much of anything about glass (I’d only been in the industry four months). There was talk of contracts and bid documents, high performance coatings, testing, installations and I was taking notes as fast as I could write. The meeting also gave me the chance to do my first industry plant tour – Vistawall. When I left Dallas I still didn’t know as much as I do today, but I knew more than I when I started. And while it still took a while to really understand some things, like anything else, it’s a learning process, and that’s how I try and look at everything I do.

#4: Vitrum 2003 in Milan took place June 25-28, not it’s usual October showing. Many of you who attended will remember, Milan saw record high temps during the show week. While the days were long and the weather scorching, I walked the halls of that show excited and optimistic of what I would see and learn. The show may not be as large as glasstec, but it’s still larger than our shows here and I covered it for the magazine alone. While that may not sound like a great achievement to those of you outside the editorial world, to me it was an accomplishment that I found helped me not only further what I knew about the North American industry, but the international industry, too.

#3: Building Envelope Contractors Conference, Las Vegas, February 20-25 2005. This meeting has become the place to be for the commercial glass and glazing industry. From the biggest to the smallest, contract glaziers flock to Vegas for this annual event. My trip there in 2005 was not my first time there, but it was the first time I presented before such a large group—300+. I was both excited and nervous when I stood before the attendees to share with them the results of the USGlass contract glazing survey. But in the end, it went really, really well. I provided attendees with some information that some later told me was both valuable and helpful. So I know now, that if given the opportunity, I could, without a doubt, do it again.

#2: Glass Processing Days, June 17-20 2005. Flying to Finland is no short trip. But if you want to know what all the world’s greatest glass minds are thinking and doing, you got to go. Sure, some of the sessions are so technical you leave cross-eyed, but the knowledge and experience and the contacts you gain from that meeting are hard to beat. Plus, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you, the networking and social activities are pretty top-notch, too. After all, it is the land of the midnight sun.

#1: Who knows? That next best thing is still waiting to be discovered. You see, every time I go somewhere or attend a meeting, it’s my number-one favorite. That’s how I try to take everything that comes my way. I like to learn new things and stay open-minded to the developments and changes that are taking place constantly.

Why all this list talk? You ask. Because USGlass is preparing for its Annual Big Book of Lists, which will be in the March 2008 issue. Be on the lookout for more information as to how your company can be considered for one of the many categories.

Outside the Glass Box

I saw this link (http://www.thestar.com/living/article/280592) on USGNN this week and I was intrigued. The article talks about how construction of condos in Toronto is moving away from window wall and toward curtainwall … “a new industrial style.” Reading that curtainwall was “a new industrial style” made me pause. I know the word “curtainwall” is not usually part of the typical family’s dinnertime conversation … “Honey, did you see that new curtainwall going up downtown?” … but the technology has been around a long, long time.

Before I continue, let me say that I know the article is geared toward a Canadian audience, but still, curtainwall is not a new technology—not even in Canada, and specifically, the Toronto area. Alumicor has been in business there since 1959 and Fulton Windows in Mississauga, now part of Oldcastle Glass, has been in operations since 1977. And sure, I understand that maybe curtainwall is new for the condo market there, but not for high-rise commercial. In fact, the article goes on to talk about how these new condos are being constructed in a way that will resemble other towers in their given areas.

I did a bit of research on the history of curtainwall. I found that the first curtainwall in New York City was the Lever House, constructed in 1951-1952, and designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Here’s a Wikipedia link if you’re interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lever_House.

While the “glass box” style may not be as popular today as it was 25 years ago, glass is still a hot design product for architects. Transparency is a buzzword of late, and thanks to so many structural glazing systems and technologies it’s easy for architects to achieve that look.

I know that a lot of what we see here architecturally in the United States originated in Europe. Technologies that may seem old hat there are new and exciting here. If you’ve learned a trend or found inspiration and ideas from something you saw somewhere else, be it Europe, Asia or anywhere else, tell us about it

I’m going to be a bit discreet with this post, simply because I don’t want to reveal too much too soon--you’ll get the big story in the January 2008 USGlass, so be on the look out or that (plus, rest assured, I’ll remind you again when the time is closer.)

Residential construction is down—that’s no secret. It’s a topic I even wrote about in my last post. But know this: not all aspects of single-family residential construction are feeling the pinch. In fact there’s one branch that can be quite lucrative.

There’s a certain sector of people out there with millions, sometimes billions, of dollars. And when you’ve got that kind of money, you can do pretty much whatever you want … even build a house or two. And when money is no object, it’s a safe assumption that these high-end homes are in a class by themselves … the ultra-high-end, you might say. And this segment has not been hurt at all, when the rest of the market has been.

Often, these folks want something truly unique, truly their own. One way they can get that is by going beyond the traditional approach to housing by adding storefront or curtainwall materials. You tend to see this when there’s something really worth seeing—amazing views, mountaintops, the ocean … anywhere in which the homeowner has a stellar view. What better way to view it than big, big glass?

While due to confidentiality agreements I can’t reveal some of the big-time names that are building some of these houses, but I’m telling you, you’ve heard of them, or at least the companies and organizations they represent. They can put glazing systems in their homes in a way most of us probably can’t. And, yes, it’s a cool concept, but it’s certainly not for everyone. Plus, depending on the neighborhood in which you live, straying from the style and look of the other houses might even cause an uproar within the community. Just something to keep in mind …

On another note, I was catching up on my own industry blog reading yesterday and saw that Max Perilstein was thankful that Michigan lets Ohio State win each year. As a follow up to that, I am thankful that Ohio State let UNC win last Wednesday night—and in Columbus, too! Regardless of where I live, the Tarheels will always be number-one with me.

Let’s talk houses … better yet, let’s just say residences. On almost every street I drive, I see multiple houses for sale, and some have been on the market for more than a year. Watch just about any HGTV series (Sell This House; Buy Me!; Designed to Sell) and they’ll tell you, no house should be for sale for that long.

You also know, I am sure, that things aren’t getting better. According to the most recent (November 19) National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, builders have yet to see any significant change in the housing market.

But on a slightly better note, the NAHB also reported on November 20 that a “bounce-back” in multifamily housing helped bring total housing starts up 3.0 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.229 million units. That sounds like pretty good news for the glass industry, since condos typically have a lot of windows and glass.

Still, housing starts are below what they were a year ago. But what can you do? Some window companies, traditionally supplying the residential market, have begun to take on more work in the commercial realm. The same is true for some glass suppliers that have typically supplied the residential market; now they are selling more to the commercial side. Other businesses, such as shower door businesses, stay busy with remodeling projects. Be creative and you can pretty much always stay busy.

Some companies may even choose to diversify and take on a new business venture during slower periods. For some, diversification may even lead to a new business department, even after your regular market returns. Let’s think outside the box. Tell us about some of your diversification ideas or how you stay busy during slow business periods.

Resolutions

It's hard to believe it, but we are already half way through the month of November, which means 2008 is just around the corner. Another year come and gone, another year older, wiser ... Maybe you're starting to think about resolutions. Maybe you want to lose weight or stop smoking. Maybe you want to spend more time at home or maybe do more for the community. But what about workplace resolutions?

What if a business or organization (including all those glass companies out there) made a company-wide resolution? For example, maybe a company would make a resolution to receive 10 percent fewer complaints or customer problems--broken shipments, late deliveries, poor customer service--than it did in 2007. Sounds nice, right? Happier customers is always a good thing. But, just like with a resolution to lose weight, you can't just say you're going to do it; you have to make a conscious effort to do so--and then stop eating so much and start exercising more.

The same goes for a business wanting to improve customer service, and each and every employee is a part of that. The production team, the shipping department, customer service ... everyone ... it's more than just the sales person (though that group is important, too).

If you're already top-notch in customers satisfaction, maybe think about a resolution to be a greener business. Use less paper, recycle more, turn off lights when you're not using a room, even better, consider replacing bulbs with CFLs (but still turn the lights off when you leave the room). Aside from its color, glass can be such a green product. Why don't we all do our part to make the companies green too?