American Architectural Manufacturers Association

April 30, 2012

Case Study: Fiberglass Windows Featured in Environmentally-Sustainable Schools

More than 20 percent of public schools reported having unsatisfactory indoor air quality, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that students in America miss approximately 14 million school days per year because of asthma.

April 25, 2012

AAMA's Fiberglass Material Council Launches New Web Page

AAMA's Fiberglass Material Council launched a new web page, developed by the FMC Marketing Committee, featuring new content and an updated page layout, as well as the addition of relevant information of interest to the fiberglass community and the fenestration industry as a whole.

March 30, 2012

Vinyl Well-Positioned to Meet Tightening Thermal Criteria

Various codes and standards continue to evolve toward more stringent performance requirements, especially with regard to energy efficiency of the building envelope in general and fenestration products. In the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), there are several significant changes between the 2009 and 2012 editions that relate to fenestration products.

March 30, 2012

Member Profile: VMC First Vice President, Kevin Seiling

VMC First Vice President, Kevin Seiling (VEKA) describes some of his industry experiences and influences, as well as his involvement with AAMA, in this Member Profile.

March 23, 2012

AAMA's Vinyl Material Council Publishes Sustainability White Paper

AAMA's Vinyl Material Council has released a new white paper on sustainability entitled Sustainable Vinyl: One material, virtually endless possibilities. The overall goals of the paper are to dispel myths and confirm truths about vinyl as a sustainable material, as well as outline the material's durability and sustainability.

March 20, 2012

Deadline Extended: Action Needed to Stop Adoption of LEED 2012

USGBC is striking a major blow against all vinyl building products used in commercial buildings by attaching an avoidance credit to its use within the revised draft of LEED^® 2012. Submit comments by March 27 (read article for full details on submitting your comments) and copy your Congress representatives. Locate your representatives through our search widget.

February 29, 2012

Case Study: The Emerald City Gets Greener

The Columbia City neighborhood of urban Seattle, WA, is home to an innovative residential development with state-of-the-art green credentials. With residents just a short walk to high-speed transportation, farmer's markets, parks and a rich diversity of restaurants and shops, Columbia City Green is a mecca for Seattle urbanites seeking a green lifestyle.

February 29, 2012

AEC Helps Impose Antidumping Duties, Participates in Hearings for 2012 Int'l Green Construction Code

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) continues to play an active role in advocating for aluminum in all aspects of the building and construction industry. Working together with partners at AAMA and other groups, AEC promotes the positive role of aluminum fenestration products in meeting advanced requirements for sustainability, energy performance, structural performance and durability.

February 29, 2012

IGMA Holds 2012 Annual Conference; Reviews Important Industry Documents

At the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance's (IGMA) 2012 Annual Conference, held January 31-Feburary 4 in Tempe, AZ, many of IGMA's task groups and committees held meetings. These groups met to discuss industry issues and document updates.

February 29, 2012

Glass Material Council Creates Task Group to Update Two Existing Documents

At the 75th Annual Conference in Naples, FL, the Glass Material Council met to discuss critical issues.

January 31, 2012

Case Study: Pre-Blended Compound Offers Easy On-Ramp to WPC Production

According to recent market studies, wood-polymer composites (WPCs) have experienced phenomenal growth over the past decade, and double digit growth continues as more markets recognize the advantages of a WPC-based product. Combining wood and plastic into a different material addresses environmental concerns, such as deforestation and sustainability, but also provides an aesthetically pleasing, low maintenance and cost-effective alternative.

January 31, 2012

Document Development Continues for Wood and Cellulosic Composite Materials

During the AAMA Fall Conference, the WCCMC 309, 311, 312 Review Task Group discussed drafts and voted to add CARB statement to all three specifications. Task Group Chair, Wally Kesler (Valspar) will schedule a conference call for the group to meet and discuss necessary edits. For AAMA 312, a change will be made from QUVA 340 testing to XENON Arc Testing in the weathering section of the document to coincide with the requirements in NAFS-11.

January 23, 2012

Case Study: Emergency Response and Control Center Equipped with Tornado-Resistant Fenestration

With tornado incidents on the rise, a new generation of heavy commercial aluminum windows and doors offers a higher degree of protection from wind damage. The 164 tornado-rated windows in the Pinellas County Emergency Response and Control Center achieve a once-unobtainable level of protection from extreme velocity storms approaching 200 mph.

January 2, 2012

Fiberglass Clears Commercial Hurdles

Selecting a window system for use in new or renovated commercial and institutional buildings has typically gravitated to metal-framed or reinforced windows to provide the strength necessary to meet AAMA CW and AW performance classes. In the last five years, however, fiberglass window systems have rapidly gained attention and are being increasingly specified and installed more and more in retail facilities, offices, schools, colleges, condominiums, apartments and many other buildings.

December 23, 2011

Member Profile: FMC First Vice President, Robb Plagemann

FMC First Vice President, Robert (Robb) Plagemann (Tecton Products), describes some of his industry experiences and influences, as well as his involvement with AAMA, in this inaugural Member Profile.

November 29, 2011

Case Study: Vinyl Windows Contribute to LEED Certification of Historic District

Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood is believed to be the largest, most intact urban historic district in the United States. However, many of the once beautiful historic homes that line the streets of this neighborhood have fallen into disrepair. Families in this working class neighborhood often find that repairs and energy-efficient updates are too costly.

November 29, 2011

Australia Green Building Council Revises its Green Star Program

Back in 2002, the GBCA launched as a national, not-for-profit organization committed to developing a sustainable industry for Australia by encouraging the adoption of green building practices. Last year the GBCA, often thought of as Australia’s equivalent of the USGBC converted an anti-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) credit into a campaign for the responsible use of PVC. In April 2010, Green Star reversed their anti-PVC credit and created a two-point credit to encourage the responsible usage of PVC.

November 29, 2011

ASTM Sustainability and VMC Environmental Stewardship Committees Seek Similar Goals

Despite intensive worldwide interest, sustainability has not achieved widespread implementation across mainstream markets. One reason is that mainstream adoption of sustainable development practices relies on the creation of consensus industry standards and there has been a lack of consensus on what standards to apply to “sustainable” products and projects.