From time to time, I get the question about advocacy. As in, what sort of advocacy is happening in our industry? I think there is a perception that the only path to advocacy is through face-to-face or 1:1 meetings with members of the legislative branches of government. And while that is a form, I believe some of the best advocacy happens at the grassroots level. From volunteers and from leaders within industry-focused trade organizations.
There are no above-code programs for commercial fenestration, and that is causing these systems to lag behind residential systems in performance. A full facade, above-code performance program should be considered that also considers factors like air-leakage and thermal bridging.
Even with a common baseline, different facilities interpret and apply OSHA rules unevenly. The result is a gap between theory and practice—and injuries that could have been prevented.
A new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast is now up! This time out was a very cool mix with the guests, and it had tons of helpful notes. I lead off with Tom Culp, consultant extraordinaire and one of the key cogs of the NGA Technical Superhero team. Next up was the fabulous Jamie Kernohan of Glass Guru.
Production bottlenecks are a fact of life in glass, window, and door fabrication, whether you run a small shop or a large facility. For years, identifying them relied on experience, gut instinct, and clipboard walk-throughs. While those tools still matter, today’s manufacturing environment demands something more precise. Data, automation, and artificial intelligence are practical, accessible tools that give fabricators of all sizes a clearer picture of where production slows down and, more importantly, why.
“Construction shows signs of life beyond data centers." This is the headline that caught my eye and got me excited. Then I saw the subheadline. “Despite hopeful signs, rising fuel prices will take a toll on material costs in the second half of the year, according to construction data provider Gordian.” And just like that, I was deflated.
June 1 marks the start of hurricane season, and each year we get predictions from experts about what may happen. Before I get to that, I do need to point out that hurricane protective glazing was a huge win and move for our industry. It is now what school security will eventually be. A must-use product to keep people safe while also allowing them to live a normalized life.
Pulp Studio worked on a unique private residence named F-House. The 7,300-square-foot home sits along the edge of Lake Washington in Kirkland, Washington, and the structure comprises uniquely cut glass.