NGA Committees Update Summary, July 2021

Industry technical leaders gathered virtually July 20, for NGA Glass Conference: July, where NGA’s Committee chairs provided updates on the important work accomplished and progress made by committee volunteers.

Watch a recording of the full NGA Glass Conference: July on YouTube.

Advocacy Committee

Buy Clean California Act. The Buy Clean California Act accepted the request from our Global Warming Potential one-pager to set the minimum required GWP to 20% above the flat glass industry average. The Advocacy Committee develops one-pagers for legislators and stakeholders, providing a quick overview of issues and a direct request from the industry. Next, the NGA Advocacy Committee will share the one-pager with stakeholders involved in the new Buy Clean Colorado Act and ASHRAE 189.1, hoping for similar success in those programs. 

Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC). GICC developed a building code proposal creating a threshold level of window area (daylight) that educational facilities cannot go below to address minimum health requirements. This proposal was not successful at the ICC committee action hearings held virtually April 11 - May 5. NGA Code Consultants Thom Zaremba, Tom Culp and Nick Resetar worked with industry partners to strengthen the proposal for the public comment hearing process, which will be held Sept. 21-28, in Pittsburgh. The NGA Advocacy Committee is prepared to develop additional resources to educate stakeholders about the value of daylighting and views to educational and other building occupants as needed to support the effort. 

Visit the NGA Advocacy page to see the latest activities and links to resources.  

Fabricating Committee

Glass Technical Paper (GTP) School Security Glazing. This new GTP builds on the already published GTP Security Glazing and makes it specific to schools. 

Decorative Glazing 

• New resources in progress. 
  • GTPs Types of Decorative Glass and Defining Acceptable Color Variance. 
  • Heat-Formed, Patterned and 3D Glass, School Security and Bird-Friendly AIA Presentations are in the works as new resources for architects.
  • A new Decorative Glazing manual, with a goal to publish in late 2022. 
  • The current Mirror GTPs covering storage, handling, fabrication, installing, cleaning, and types will be combined into one document to create a new Mirror Design Guide. 
  • Currently at ballot, the new GTP Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design uses a prescriptive approach including the requirements to be considered bird friendly, such as size and contrast of markers, marker spacing, and surface application. 
  • The existing GTP Use of Glass in Guardrails (formerly Use of Laminated Glass in Glass Railing Systems) has been updated based on the 2021 IBC.
  • Existing GTPs Design Considerations for Laminated Glazing and Dynamic Glazing for High Performance Buildings are ready for their five-year review and the committee needs volunteers to join these task groups. 

Fire-rated Glazing 

• Additional Benefits of Fire-Rated Glazing will be a new GTP discussing the advantages fire-rated glazing can offer, and the current Fire-Rated Glazing Today AIA Presentation is undergoing updates prior to its renewal later this year. 
• The committee is also updating the Product Category Rule (PCR) for Windows to include all fenestration products, extension of the PCR for Processed Glass, new GTPs on Thermal Comfort and Alignment of ASHRAE with IECC, and a new Daylighting AIA Presentation. 

Insulating Glazing

• New GTP PIB Compatibility Testing will provide a method of compatibility testing of glazing components with respect to PIB primary sealant in IGUs. Look for new GTP VIG Fabrication, which will address adopting VIG’s into existing fabrication lines, and new GTP Bent IGUs. 
• The committee needs volunteers to update GTPs Performance Improvements of IGUs and Guidelines for the Appearance of IGUs, which are ready for their five-year review.
• Volunteers are also needed for Secondary Sealants, a new GTP that discusses design considerations for the structural bite dimension of a silicone secondary sealant in a dual sealed IGU.

Tempered Glazing

• The committee is updating Iridescence in Heat-Treated Architectural Glass and Marking and Labeling of Architectural Laminated Glass, which will be expanded to include tempered glass.

Forming Committee

New GTP Recyclability of Architectural Glass. This new GTP includes updates about recycled glass in float glass manufacturing, a list of suggested topics to discuss with the glass recycler, and new options for recycling laminated glass. NGA and several member companies are working with Building Transparency to develop the glass category for the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3 Calculator). 

Global Warming Potential legislation. California Department of General Services started to gauge Global Warming Potential compliance of eligible materials on July 1, 2021, despite some known issues with the legislation. Those bidding on public works projects in California should check out NGA’s AB262 FAQs.

Installing Committee

Two new manuals. Due to the committee’s work, the NGA now offers Commercial Fenestration Systems Manual, published May 2021, and the Guide to Glass and Glazing Requirements of the Model Building Codes, updated in July 2021. 

Finalizing new GTP Thermal Bridging. The Specifications task group is updating the Glass & Glazing section, MasterSpec Division 08 in cooperation with Deltek. 

Upcoming Frameless Shower Enclosures Installation Guide. Volunteers are needed to draft this new guide, which expands on the topic from the Fabricating Committee’s Frameless Shower Design Guide.

The discussion continues at NGA Glass Conference: September, in person at GlassBuild America in Atlanta, Sept. 13-15, 2021.