NGA Technical Committees Drive Industry Education and Advocacy Efforts

Industry technical leaders gathered July 18-20, 2022, for NGA Glass Conference: Chicago, where NGA’s Committee chairs provided updates on the important work accomplished by committee volunteers. 

See a full update of NGA task groups (pdf). Read on for committee highlights from the conference.

ADVOCACY COMMITTEE 

NGA Advocacy Capitol Hill Visits: In April 2022, NGA member companies visited with Congressional members, legislative staff and agency officials from 12 states, plus the US EPA and US DOE, to discuss issues relevant to the industry as defined by the NGA Advocacy One-Pagers: School Security, Bird-Friendly Glazing, High-Performance Glazing Promotes Building Resiliency and Registered Apprenticeship Programs. Building on the success of this event, the NGA Advocacy Committee and consultants are working to refine our “Asks” from the glass and glazing industry in preparation for a follow-up event to be held next Spring. A one-pager on Architectural Glass Recycling will also be updated based on discussions with the US EPA. 

The NGA Advocacy Committee will participate in the new Clearinghouse on School Security, established by the new school safety legislation. NGA will recommend resources to guide school security glazing for schools.

Discussion Recap: Physiological Impacts of Light on Human Health & the Implications of Glazing. The issues discussed at the NGA Glass Conference: Long Beach were revisited, including glazing implications on eye health and the research on violet light’s correlation to retinal development. Blue and violet photons are both required for normal blood vessel development in the eye. The absence of violet light in the built environment may be contributing to the increasing rate of myopia in the human population. Glazing that transmits photons from 380 nm and longer may encourage normal eye development. The task group will meet with researchers again in September to keep informed & engaged as new research results emerge.

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

FORMING COMMITTEE

NGA and several member companies are working with Building Transparency to develop the glass category for the Embodied Carbon in Construction (EC3) Calculator. The next task group meetings will include fire-rated glazing companies. The task group is also seeking volunteers with expertise in curtainwall. EC3 will have a demonstration of the tool on August 24, 2022. Look for more information on how to attend in the coming weeks.

The Health Product Declarations Collaborative (HPDC) will meet with NGA task group members to refine how glass should be reported on HPDs. 

FABRICATING COMMITTEE

The NGA Fabricating Committee is updating the Laminated Glazing Reference Manual to reflect several updated ASTM standards and to add new sections including adhesion and impact. A new Decorative Glazing Manual is planned for development as well as a new Mirror Design Guide. The proposed research project, Post Fabrication Edge Grinding of Laminated Glass, was reviewed and additional questions will be discussed with consultants. 

The Fabricating Committee established new task groups to draft AIA presentations on several topics, including:

• School Security - Glazing Options for Windows and Doors Installed in Schools
• Thermal Bridging Considerations at Interface Conditions
• Bird-Friendly Glazing Design
• Daylighting
• Vacuum Insulating Glazing (VIG)

The NGA Fabricating Committee also called for volunteers to assist task groups drafting or updating the following Glass Technical Papers (GTPs):

• Benefits of Decorative Glass in Daylighting Applications
• Guidelines for Use of Capillary Tubes
• Emergency Egress Through Laminated Glazing Materials (This document will be updated to include tempered and IGU egress.)
• Use of Glass in Guardrails
• New- Acoustic Performance of Vacuum Insulating Glazing (VIG)
• New- Bent Insulating Glazing Units 
• New- Challenges Faced by Fire-Rated Glazing