Latest Articles in Retail Glass

  • Viewpoint: Devin Bowman
    August 11, 2011
    In an interview with Glass Magazine contributor Max Perilstein, Devin Bowman, national sales manager for Technical Glass Products, discusses the latest developments in fire-rated glass products and applications, and the related code improvements he believes are necessary. Max Perilstein: First off, tell me about you. Where did you go to college and how did you get in our industry?Devin...

  • Threat of radiant heat should not be ignored
    Debate continues regarding use of hose stream test
    December 1, 2007
     According to a United States Fire Administration’s congressional report, the rate of fire related deaths per capita in the United States is two to three times that of several European nations and is at least 20 percent higher than most developed countries.  For a country that still has one of the worst fire safety records in the industrialized world, equating safety with a glazed...

  • Battling explosives: Department of Defense criteria for blast-resistant glazing
    December 1, 2006
    Glass hazards often represent a significant component of the risk to personnel during a terrorist explosives attack. Whether from a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device or hand-placed explosive charges, blast pressures can overwhelm conventional glazing and result in hazardous glass fragments in occupied areas. Injuries from glass include lacerations and serious injuries from less obvious...

  • Replacement and litigation costs make wired-glass alternatives worth the price
    October 3, 2006
    Side by side, the price of fire- and impact-resistant products can’t hold up to the low cost of traditional wired glass products, causing many school officials and architects to dismiss alternative products...

  • Fire-rated glazing labels hold many benefits
    Professionals outside the industry laud the move
    October 1, 2006
    Relax. Kick back. Enjoy the International Building Code’s new marking system for fire-rated glazing. It’s going to make your life a lot easier. That’s what some people familiar with the new marking system say. Let’s begin at Undewriters Laboratories. According to Bob Berhinig, principal engineer at UL’s Northbrook, Ill., facility, UL encourages use of the system as a...

  • Counter terrorism: Tougher fenestration standards strive to reduce casualties
    August 1, 2006
    Explosive terrorist attacks during the last 13 years have made counter-terrorism a national priority. Protection goes beyond the high-profile news of detection, interdiction and military action. The mission of protecting civilians from building hazards has officially expanded from fire safety and mitigation of natural disasters to include intentional attack, particularly with explosive devices....

  • Blast off: Despite minor damages, laminated glazing holds up against disasters
    April 1, 2006
    Remodeling the Charles E. Bennett Federal Building in Jacksonville, Fla., was no easy feat. In addition to needing updated heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and electrical systems, new tenant office spaces and a rehabilitated façade, 1,300 leaking windows needed replacing. Updating the structure did not end there. Today, federal buildings, possible targets for terrorist activity, come...

  • Heat transfer and fire-rated glazing
    Why you should care
    February 1, 2006
    Confusion reigns when it comes to fire-rated glass, its technical properties and performance. Though I’ve been the North American marketing and advertising manager for Vetrotech Saint-Gobain Corp. of Auburn, Wash., for more than a year now, I still get  “glazed” trying to figure them out. The criteria run on endlessly: model codes, test standards, wired glass, intumescents...
  • **The silent players

    The majority of the information included in the Top 50 comes directly from contract glazing firms; this year, 43 of the Top 50 confirmed their 2009 and 2010 sales figures. However, some companies request that we not include them or refuse to provide any information. We understand the sensitivity of releasing sales figures; however, we do not omit any firms simply because they ask. In cases where a company declines to participate, we use independent sources Dun & Bradstreet and Hoovers, prior-year submissions, and estimations from industry members to determine their ranking. Companies marked with ** are those that declined to provide information for the Top 50 Glaziers survey, but that Glass Magazine editors believe should be included. Their estimated rank is based on the independent sources described above.