The United Nations International Year of Glass (IYOG) 2022 celebrates the essential role of glass in society. This month, as part of NGA's continued support and celebration of IYOG, we’re spotlighting how glass can contribute to sustainable and resilient buildings.
Building resiliency and sustainability of glazing products was a focus at NGA’s Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, in April. NGA provides advocacy one-pagers to format advocacy requests related to glass industry issues into a quick-reference format to help stakeholders and legislators easily understand issues at hand. Find the High-Performance Glazing Promotes Building Resiliency one-pager.
The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced a National Initiative to Advance Building Codes, a new government-wide effort to boost national resiliency and reduce energy costs. FEMA views the adoption of current building codes as the most effective means to enable communities to become more resilient to hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and other natural hazards that are increasing in frequency and severity because of the changing climate. Read More at GlassMagazine.com
Building Performance Cost-Benefit
The primary roadblock in adopting a high-performing glass product is cost. However, the price tag for high-performance systems should be considered alongside the holistic costs of building construction and operations. Sources point to three primary areas to consider when weighing costs. Read the full article at GlassMagazine.com.
Triple Glazing and Embodied Energy, by NGA Energy Code Consultant Dr. Tom Culp of Birch Point Consulting, answers the question “Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?”
Energy and Sustainability Webinars
New IGU Technologies for Carbon Reduction and Zero Net Energy
Presented by Stephen Selkowitz, Principal, Stephen Selkowitz Consultants | Affiliate, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. Learn about the latest IGU technologies, and the research and development still in progress, that will aid in the reduction of a building's carbon footprint and bring us closer to the goal of a zero net energy building. Watch this webinar now.
Counting Carb(on)s: Embodied Versus Operational
Presented by Kayla Natividad of NSG Pilkington. Learn about the differences between embodied and operational carbon, and what it means for glazing in buildings. Watch this webinar now.
How to Make Informed Embodied Carbon Decisions in Glass & Glazing
Presented by Helen Sanders, PhD, Technoform North America, this session addresses strategies for minimizing embodied carbon in buildings, with the aim of providing a framework for making sound carbon-based decisions when designing and constructing with glass. Watch this webinar now.
Plus, download the Building Enclosure Production Life Cycle Infographic.
Resources on Sustainability & Resilience
The flat glass industry compiled resources for stakeholders and sustainability programs aimed at better understanding the environmental performance of glass products manufactured for buildings. Find these resources on glass.org:
- PCR for Flat Glass
- Industry-Average EPD for Flat Glass
- Processed glass PCR
- Cradle-to-Gate Windows PCR
Other NGA Glass Technical Papers and Manuals
- General EPD Education Glass Technical Paper
- Protective Glazing Manual
- International Code Council. Learn More about Resilient Building Codes from ICC
- HUD Toolkit. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) developed a new Resilient Building Toolkit, which provides information on the adoption and implementation of hazard-resistant building codes. Access the new Resilient Building Toolkit on the HUD Exchange