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June 1, 2006
The roots of thin interlayers used in and on windows and glazing date to the 1930s, the first Golden Age of the American automobile. A consortium, including DuPont of Wilmington, Del., developed glass fashioned from tough, clear polyvinyl butyral. Sandwiched between glass, it created a safety windshield, and lamination was born. Since then, the processes, applications, thicknesses, colors and...
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June 1, 2006
Click here to download PDF verison (371KB, Adobe Acrobat).Despite rising interest rates and higher oil prices, the U.S. economy plugs along fairly well. Federal data show 211,000 new jobs were generated in March, and the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. Construction accounts for about 6.4 percent of U.S. jobs but provided 14.4 percent of last year’s job growth, according to The Christian...
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June 1, 2006
Although it has been around for several years, many U.S. contract glaziers still view point-supported glazing or spider glazing as a highly specialized application. It’s use in the U.S. construction market represents only a fraction of that in Europe, where the application of structural glass within building design has become the norm rather than the exception. Unfortunately, most U.S....
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May 1, 2006
Architects of the new Bronx Library Center in New York City chose to use glass to make the building stand out in a neighborhood of brick apartments and shops. The glazed building sends a welcoming message, says Daniel Heuberger, project designer from Dattner Architects & Partners in Manhattan.“The main design concern of the library was to make it appear open and accessible,”...
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May 1, 2006
The limited but strategic use of glass on the six-story, $80 million Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville makes it one of the nicest spaces in the city, says Peter Scaglione, an associate partner with design firm Beyer Blinder Belle of New York City.“Because it’s a museum, there isn’t glass throughout much of the building,” Scaglione says. “But we used glass to dramatic...
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North American mirror manufacturers have to try harder on world stage
May 1, 2006
When some North America’s silverers look in their mirrors, they see: robots. The additional productivity that robots and sophisticated plant-management software lend to the silvering process could give North America’s 29 or so mirror manufacturers the edge they need to survive in an international economy. Automation becomes key, says Eddie Davis, silvering superintendent at Guardian...
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May 1, 2006
After zipping to the lead in Chinese auto-glass exports, Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd. revs its engine to catch up with other architectural glass Chinese exporters.Headquartered in Shenzhen, the boom town of southern China, Xinyi Glass started producing auto glass in 1988. Six years ago, it started making and selling architectural glass, and in February 2005, went public on the Hong Kong stock...
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May 1, 2006
After five years and $650 million, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia now shines as the city’s latest architectural jewel. The three-phase project transformed CHOP from a dark, 1970s-era structure to a light and welcoming glazed expansion that tested technical and creative abilities of participants every step of the way.The importance of the CHOP expansion and recladding, however...
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April 1, 2006
The economic savings from the building’s green design and the benefits of an improved learning environment quickly make up for the initial investment ofDespite the $18 million price tag on the new Twenhofel Middle School in Independence, Ky., school district officials say.Designers relied heavily on natural daylighting solutions in the building, which is up for Leadership in Energy &...
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April 1, 2006
The newest addition to Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta is best described as “the ark,” a glazed hull-shaped structure that serves as the front door to the Georgia Aquarium.“We looked at ship hulls and we looked at forms of large fish and whales, the imagery of the sea,” says Gary Fowler, principal for project architect Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of...