Tag: Quanex Building Products

The Increasing Importance of Mock-up Testing

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Not long ago I wrote about the importance of long-term performance once commercial glass products have been installed in a new building. Major investments are being made in new technologies, and in order for those products to meet their potential (and to protect our industry’s reputation), validating performance and sound installation practices are increasingly important.

I found this to be true during some of my recent travels over the past few weeks. In March, I and one of my technical services colleagues spent time at a test lab for project-specific mock-up performance testing on a commercial vinyl window system that is to be installed in a large mid-rise development project. The testing was necessitated by the project architect—some of the largest multi-lite openings needed to hit a certain criteria to keep the project moving. Windows were installed in a full-size representation of the proposed exterior wall system. Structural integrity, air tightness and water performance were all validated through the process, helping to grant confidence that the systems will deliver long-term performance.

While this is not standard procedure for every project, I think we’ll begin seeing an increase in required mock-up testing in large new commercial jobs. More evidence: The Building Envelope Contractors Conference (BEC) returned to Nashville for the first time in two years in March. There was plenty of chatter about how the industry has navigated the past few years, but a particular panel discussion on field and laboratory performance mock-ups caught my attention, correlating with my experience a week or so earlier. Presented by Jose Colon, regional sales director, Intertek; Szymon Zienkiewicz, president, Larsen Zienkiewicz; and Vic McConnell, Smith Cashion & Orr, PLC, the panel served to highlight the importance of performing physical mock-up testing to validate that the system as designed will be fit for use following sound installation.

Why an increasing emphasis on mock-up testing? I think there are a few drivers here:

Risk mitigation. First and foremost, testing helps validate performance—and that’s important for building owners in today’s environment. For many, making the investment in mock-up testing is a worthwhile venture to be more certain of long-term performance. System failures following completion of construction can be major liabilities. Especially as the construction space continues to face labor and skills challenges, a robust testing protocol can help reveal any weaknesses before the job is fully complete, allowing rework if necessary.

Quality assurance for new technologies. Building owners are further looking to new building and fenestration technologies for higher energy performance (more on that in a second). And as these new technologies are deployed, owners want assurance their selection can provide those benefits without sacrificing any of the reliability of legacy technologies. That testing I mentioned earlier was for Quanex’s commercial-grade vinyl window system, and structural performance was a critical part of the evaluation. I’ve noted before how commercial vinyl technologies can offer a wide range of benefits in punched opening and multi lite applications, and I believe that successful testing to commercial performance criteria like this will help broaden the acceptance of these types of options and further validate their place in the commercial market.

Efficiency and sustainability. Building codes and other measures will continue to drive the need for more thermally efficient glass and window systems, a trend that I don’t think we’ll see go in reverse any time soon. For example, last month I wrote about the burgeoning growth of passive house-certified buildings, which seek to drive energy consumption to the lowest possible point. Mock-up testing can help validate that the chosen window systems will provide the kind of air tightness required by passive house standards, for instance. As emphasis increases on making buildings more sustainable, I think it’s reasonable to expect testing will help contribute to those goals.

All in all, I think this kind of mock-up testing is a good thing for our industry. It’s an effective way that we can help grow trust and acceptance of new and emerging commercial glass and glazing technologies that can help make better buildings.

 

Being Thankful for Progress

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We’re approaching the end of November, and that means Thanksgiving and the holiday season is right around the corner. I hope that after the challenges our industry has been through this year, you’ll be able to find at least a bit of time to rest and reflect over the next month or so.

With all of this in mind, I got to thinking about what we—the fenestration industry—can or should be thankful for this year. On first thought, it might seem a bit difficult to identify those things as we continue to navigate the ongoing supply chain crunch, labor issues, and additional challenges that arrived with the pandemic and don’t seem to have subsided.

But I was struck by a couple of recent news items in this magazine. A new report from Key Media & Research suggests that commercial glass-related construction is approaching a full rebound. Elsewhere, a panel of commercial construction industry experts recently noted that construction pipelines are full and expect that the market is headed toward a period of sustained growth. You’ve probably been seeing and hearing similar chatter in the past few months.

This is all good news we can be thankful for, and it’s also worth thinking about a little more deeply. It’s evidence not just of the resiliency of our industry, but of commercial glass and glazing’s vital role in the modern built environment. The benefits are real, and they’re in high demand in new construction. Outstanding efficiency and occupancy comfort. Daylighting and views. Long-term performance.

We’ve helped sustain the demand for these benefits by working with building code communities to demonstrate glass’s ability to meet desirable performance targets in large-format glazing and curtainwall applications. We’ve also done it by utilizing proven technologies such as warm-edge spacer systems, low-E coatings, new kinds of framing, and other solutions. Glass today is an essential part of modern facades—and it’s because of the tremendous effort and innovation our industry has delivered over the past few decades. I’m thankful for the progress we’ve made toward the realization of more efficient, modern commercial construction.

It’s worth thinking about this collective hard work and collaboration as we begin to look toward next year and the future beyond. And while for many in the industry it’s been difficult to forecast too far beyond the day-to-day, it’s important that commercial glass professionals don’t let today’s challenges cause us to rest on our laurels. Make no mistake—it’s rough in the world of commercial glass fabrication and installation right now. But demand for what we can bring to modern buildings is higher than it’s ever been, and it will take our continued efforts and innovation to keep driving that demand higher.

Toward the end of a year filled with challenges, I hope you can find some things to be thankful for in the commercial fenestration space. And I’d love to hear what they are—let me know at Joe.Erb@Quanex.com.

Seizing Opportunities to Forge Meaningful Connections

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I’ve spent more time this July traveling than I have in the past year. It’s been a refreshing change of pace—dinners with customers and colleagues, face-to-face conversations, time on the shop floor. These are all things many folks may have taken for granted prior to the pandemic. Now, I’m more thankful than ever for these kinds of opportunities to connect.

Collaboration and information sharing are foundational to our industry. And as I wrote a few months ago, it’s how designers and architects gain the confidence to specify innovative products and components for cutting-edge building design. And while I expect that virtual presentations, CEU courses, and other digital venues for information sharing will remain important in the coming years, sometimes there’s no substitute for seeing things with your own eyes.

Consider the following: Building materials like steel and lumber remain at high prices, and supply chain challenges continue to cause construction delays, but the overall outlook for the commercial construction market is optimistic. Amidst these headwinds, architects must consider a few things when drawing up specifications: Availability, cost-effectiveness, and proof of performance.

Technical documentation can help verify these criteria for architects and designers, but sometimes real, physical demonstrations can have a bigger impact. Commercial glass fabrication offers a good example. Because of the efficiency they can deliver in the fabrication process, specifying automatically applied warm-edge spacer systems can help strike the right balance between cost-effectiveness and high levels of thermal performance. Here, automated systems can both speed up production and reduce the number of workers required to make high-quality units, and may contribute some cost efficiencies on a new project. Especially considering today’s labor crunch, other non-automated systems can lead to lengthier production times and may ultimately drive up per-unit cost.

Examples like this might be illuminating for an architect that doesn’t typically spend a whole lot of time in commercial glass production facilities. And as the design community works diligently to maximize value for every dollar spent, they’ll appreciate the opportunity to identify new areas to achieve performance and cost benefits without sacrificing their vision on a new project.

What I wrote in April remains true. It’s incumbent upon the commercial glass and glazing community to make ourselves open and available to architects and designers, and to advocate for our ability to meet their needs. Building strong relationships is more important than ever. And adapting in a marketplace that will forever be more virtual is critical.

But post-pandemic, I think it’s important our industry seize some of these regained opportunities for plant tours, in-person presentations, and other venues to demonstrate the kind of performance forward-thinking glass technology can provide. In addition, these are great ways for us to continue building build trust and rapport with the architecture and design communities.

I’m looking forward to more in-person interaction and collaboration in our industry in the coming months. Are you? I’d love to hear your thoughts at Joe.Erb@Quanex.com