Commercial Commentary

It’s hard to pay attention to much else but the COVID-19 outbreak these past couple of weeks. It’s an unprecedented situation and, as such, there’s plenty of uncertainty in the industry at the moment.

My advice: Control what you can control. Stay informed through credible sources. Do what’s within your power to follow the guidance that’s been provided by our institutions to stay safe and healthy.

With that said, much of our industry’s work isn’t possible to perform remotely. Whether it’s building high-quality products on shop floors or installing high-performance glazing on new buildings, this all involves people in physical locations doing physical tasks. OSHA recently provided guidance on how to stay safe and healthy in these situations.

What else can we do at a time like this? How can we best prepare our businesses for an uncertain future? And what opportunities might there be for us to take advantage of? Here are some things to think about:

Be adaptable. I wrote recently about the importance of being resilient and adaptable as an organization, to best succeed in evolving market conditions. Code changes, shifting design trends and the availability of new technology can all impact the way we do business, and there’s no doubt that our current situation is pretty fluid. Adaptability will be key—if your company culture has prioritized this trait, it’ll come in handy now. Processes will need adjusting, job priorities may shift and we’ll need to roll with the punches as best we can.

Make the most of your time. As of this writing, much of the building and construction industry is operating under a “business as usual” philosophy. Many jobsites haven’t slowed, according to Construction Dive—major pauses have so far been the exception. But that could change, and the commercial glass industry could be facing some downtime.

We can make the most of it. Maybe it’s time to catch up on some critical maintenance tasks on the shop floor. You could work on training for employees. Take a closer look at your strategic plan. Whatever it is, you can likely find some means of strengthening your business in some way.

Keep in communication. Maintaining clear lines of communication with your customers, vendors and suppliers is always important, but especially during periods of uncertainty. Make sure you’re checking in with all stakeholders regularly to talk through how you can continue to support each other. And though we might be limited in our abilities to connect face to face for a little while, there are plenty of other ways we can connect with technology. Consider a video chat instead of a phone call, for example.

No matter what the next few months bring with them, I know that the commercial glass industry has always been resilient. We’ll come through this on the other side together.

Joe Erb is commercial sales specialist with Quanex Building Products.  

Throughout history, architecture has been a reflection of the times. In ancient Egypt, builders defied what was possible by building grand pyramids that served as tombs for kings. Roman architecture combined artful arches with thick, fortified walls. In the 1920s and 1930s, Art Deco featured flares of drama that marked the Jazz Age.

With each passing era, there has been a combination of art and utility. Today is no different.

Hectic lifestyles and a growing concern for the natural environment have led us to architecture that is not only more efficient and sustainable, but also blurs the line between the tranquility of the outdoors and our indoor work and living spaces.

Defined as “a hypothetical human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature,” biophilia is a trend that has made its way into buildings and homes throughout the world. All one needs to do is walk a building and construction tradeshow or turn on a home improvement channel to witness the large lites of glass capable of bringing the outdoors in.

Why? People crave light and a greater connection to nature—and with good reason. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that we spend just 7% of our time outdoors, and the rest is spent in buildings or cars. In our daily lives, we are separated from the outside world, which can lead to negative effects on our physical and emotional health.

The building and construction industry has taken notice and is reacting to the data.

Seeking Health and Happiness

One third-party study conducted by a professor at Cornell University for View looked specifically at the health benefits of adding dynamic glass that optimizes natural light in spaces, while reducing solar heat gain and glare. The results from 313 office workers revealed 56% less drowsiness, 63% fewer headaches and 51% less eyestrain.

The same study also showed that workers with access to outside views and natural light were 2% more productive—the equivalent of an additional $100,000 of annual value for every 100 workers.

Another study detailed in Harvard Business Review placed access to natural light and views of the outdoors as the No. 1 desire for 1,614 North American workers. Forty-seven percent of employees surveyed felt not having access to natural light made them feel tired, and 43% said lack of light made them feel gloomy at work. On the flipside, proximity to natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, was associated with a 15% increase in well-being and creativity, and 6% higher productivity.

Access to natural light clearly has merits when it comes to health and well-being, but studies have revealed that it can also lead to higher rent premiums, improved lease renewal rates and increased occupant satisfaction. The many benefits have led to most national and international green rating and certification programs adding health and well-being credits to their criteria.

Biophilia Here to Stay?

All the signs point to biophilia as being more than a passing ideal and Forbes agreed in an article from last year that cited it as a trend that is here to stay. In my opinion, it’s a sign of the times, and biophilia might just be the defining style that marks this era in the history of architecture.

But how do you accomplish true biophilic design? For further reading, I recommend this

article by the General Services Administration that lists elements in detail. Some aspects include:

• Views of living nature, such as trees, water, flowers, fish tanks and koi ponds;
• Use of natural materials, such as wood and stone; AND
• Variations in sounds, light, color, temperature and air movement.

Questions or comments? Email me directly at joe.erb@quanex.com.

The winds of change are always blowing in the fenestration industry.

I mean that both literally and figuratively. Commercial insulating glass products must stand up to the toughest weather and climate challenges in the world as architects and builders grow bolder with designs, all while maintaining peak occupancy and operational efficiency. Whether it’s hot, arid environments or the coldest reaches of North America, glass needs to deliver the right performance no matter what Mother Nature throws at them. Many buildings in temperate regions must be adaptable to both hot and cold extremes. And no matter the application, commercial glazing today must deliver resiliency, durability and thermal performance for long-term success.

Manufacturers and glaziers, meanwhile, must be able to successfully deliver those reliable, resilient products while maintaining profitability and stability in their business—no matter the market conditions. Code changes, economic headwinds, design trends, raw materials supply, the availability of new technology … there’s no shortage of factors that can influence a commercial IG fabricator’s or glazier’s business. Most recently I’ve been keeping tabs on some of the major mergers and acquisitions activity that’s been taking place among some of the industry’s bigger names. Some acquisitions expand the company’s footprint into a new geographic area (e.g., Glasswerks’ acquisition of NWI). Others, like YKK AP’s recent acquisition of Erie Architectural Products, may indicate growth in a new market—in this case, fabricated, preassembled architectural products.

I bring up these examples—the performance of our products and the performance of our businesses—to illustrate a broader point: Resiliency and adaptability in the face of change are important. Whether it’s an architectural façade’s ability to keep building interiors comfortable in a variety of weather or climate conditions, or our businesses’ ability to successfully navigate marketplace fluctuations, both entities must demonstrate resiliency and adaptability for long-term success.

What does that look like in practice? Consider spacer systems, which have evolved in the past few decades from traditional metallic systems to higher-performance, warm-edge systems. These systems have demonstrated resiliency in their ability to provide long-term performance benefits to commercial glass, and adaptability in their applicability to just about any commercial glass need.

When it comes to organizational success, resiliency and adaptability apply just the same—and those qualities must be rooted in your people. I’ve written over the past few months about the importance of organizational culture, especially in the face of leadership changes, mergers and acquisitions, and an ongoing labor shortage in our industry. An organizational culture that is both resilient and adaptable is important for the successful navigation of new challenges in an evolving industry. Adaptability might mean your plant manager adjusting the manufacturing process to accommodate new technology; resiliency means remaining committed to finding the right solution even if a certain approach doesn’t work the first time. Both attributes are important for a successful culture and business.

Is your company culture resilient and adaptable? Are you utilizing technology and processes with the same attributes? It’s worth asking yourself these questions as we get moving into a new year.

Joe Erb is commercial sales specialist for Quanex Building Products.