A Person of Influence: Our Own Dr. Helen Sanders

And, for good reason.    



SAGE is the pioneer and market leader in electrochromic glazing for architectural applications. Being an innovator in a technology aimed at an established market sector – like window glazing – is a daunting path to walk. Buildings are big dollar projects that represent highly public and long-lasting investments. You might take a chance on a start-up offering a new technology when it comes to hand driers in the restroom, but would you take that same risk for the glass in the south-facing curtain wall of a corporate headquarters?



Establishing credibility and confidence in a revolutionary technology like SageGlass® takes a lot of work over the course of many years. The product has to be designed to meet real world market needs and conditions. Integration with industry associations and committees is critical. Codes and standards need to reflect the benefits and possibilities of the new technology and not present inadvertent barriers to adoption. It’s the type of work that Dr. Sanders has carried on tirelessly since first joining SAGE, a division of Saint-Gobain, in 1999. Even beyond dynamic glazing, she’s lead work to deal with larger industry issues including the window-to-wall ratio in ASHRAE 90.1 in 2010 and developing product category rules for windows over the last few years.



As the company’s liaison to the glass and window industry, Helen has become a fixture with the constituencies crucial to the acceptance of dynamic glass – serving on any number of important association boards and committees, including the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Association (IGMA), the Glass Association of North America (GANA), and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). She’s also highly active in the development of key building industry codes and standards that involve issues such as energy efficiency and daylighting.



And while dynamic glazing is riding an encouraging adoption curve in the market, there’s still much work to be done, and we foresee that Helen with continue to work for and with the glazing industry for years to come.