The Shift from Volume to Value
Today’s architecture is fueled by glass more than at any other time in history. Just look around. Can you imagine driving through a city and seeing soaring skyscrapers with entirely opaque façades? Or walking through a building without being able to look outside and see the green trees and city skyline? It’s almost unthinkable given the prevalence of glass on and in today’s buildings.
In light of the increased demand for glass, it’s easy to form the perception that it has become a commodity product. I believe the opposite holds true. The highly visible material has never been asked to do more. Building designs call for glass in larger sizes, with improved energy performance, better protective capabilities, and greater clarity, among other demands. These advanced glass solutions also require a greater level of craftsmanship. Not only are today’s products more complex, but they need to be made right the first time to help design teams deliver projects on-time and within budget in today’s busy marketplace.
As we’re seeing at TGP, the call for enhanced glazing to meet the needs of the design community is requiring a shift from volume to value. Instead of simply meeting supply and demand requirements, an equally important goal is now providing glazing solutions that are more than a static attribute.
For some of us in the glazing industry, this means developing new products that allow glass to be the focal point of a building while also meeting stringent fire and life safety codes. For others, it requires working with design teams to land on nontraditional glazing solutions that balance energy efficiency and daylight transfer with user operability. For all of us, it means identifying new ways to leverage existing labor and effectiveness to deliver quality products that meet today’s tight project deadlines—even if those products are more complex.
Whatever the approach, manufacturers and suppliers are constantly recalibrating the way glazing products are used to add value to building designs. Katy Devlin, editor of Glass Magazine, reinforced this point earlier in the year, noting, “Companies have continued to develop energy-performance solutions, with new coatings, dynamic offerings and even energy-producing products. And the industry has responded aggressively to provide solutions to other architectural glass trends—from more complex envelopes and larger sizes to more decorative products and interior applications.”
We’ve made a lot of significant developments in the last decade, and I believe the shift from volume to value will be among the most important. That’s not to say it won’t be accompanied by ups and downs. But, that’s part of advancement.
As art critic John Ruskin once said, “We require from buildings two kinds of goodness: first, the doing their practical duty well; then that they be graceful and pleasing in doing it.” Let’s continue to show how glass can be a value-added component of answering Ruskin’s call.
