It was a great day of spirited conversations among all levels of the Canadian architectural glass industry at Top Glass on April 17 in Mississauga, Ont. Despite the truly unbelievable bad weather in southern Ontario, 315 attendees managed to get to the International Centre, tour 61 exhibitors and sit in four cutting-edge educational sessions. Attendees were about evenly split between architects/specifiers and glazing contractors.
Highlights of the show floor included the launch of a new product for Sunview Patio Doors, the massive Leggera door system that uses magnetic levitation to enable effortless sliding of the huge panels. Sunview went all-out with a big video wall behind its doors, aptly demonstrating the kinds of views users would experience.
The seminar sessions were full with around 100 architects in the seats collecting their OAA learning credits. Dr. Chuck Black of the U.S. Brookhaven National Laboratories created a buzz that lasted all day with his revelation of his amazing nanoetching process that causes glass to become almost entirely nonreflective, water-repellent and condensation-resistant. The time-lapse videos of condensation droplets literally leaping away from the surface were stunning to behold. A future without coatings may be in sight.
Cody Thomas of GlassRenu described how his company can eliminate scratches that would formerly have required throwing out the whole glass panel. Chris Fronsoe of ICD Coatings explained silicone opacifier and how it compares to ceramic frit as a spandrel treatment. Al Jaugelis of RDH Building Science packed ’em in once again to explain the North American Fenestration Standard and some of the weird quirks it presents to the commercial facade designer.
There were nice moments of industry recognition as the Ontario Glass and Metal Association presented its Awards of Excellence to two worthy members. Moriyama and Teshima Architects won the award for design with their work on the Humber College Student Welcome and Resource Centre. Bass Installations won for execution for the UTSC Environmental Science and Chemistry Building. For the first time, the OGMA included an honourable mention for Explore1’s innovative skylight design, which wasn’t eligible for a prize because the project used glass fabricated outside North America.
If you were at Top Glass, watch your inbox for a feedback survey coming soon. Please respond to collect your certificates of attendance for OAA credits, and to help make the show even better.
Top Glass organizers are already collecting proposals for the 2019 edition. Please email Patrick Flannery (pflannery@annexweb.com) to suggest a speaker and session topic.
Top Glass returns to the International Centre April 17, 2019. Mark your calendar!
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