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FGIA: A year of progress

It’s been a year like no other for us all. The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance has found ways to keep doing our important work on the standards we rely on to promote quality work. Here’s a look at just some of the updates and publications we released in 2020.

AAMA 2501, Voluntary Guideline for Engineering Analysis of Anchorage Systems for Fenestration Products Included in NAFS, establishes the minimum requirements to confirm that a fenestration anchorage system for a product included in the North American Fenestration Standard provides a load resistance with an appropriate safety factor that is equal to or greater than the project specific design pressure requirements and supports the product in a manner equivalent to that tested. AAMA TIR-A14, Fenestration Anchorage Guidelines, offers engineering rules and guidelines in the designs of fasteners used in the connection of fenestration to the surrounding building conditions. Both documents were revised to align more closely with one another. Small, but crucial, equation revisions were also included in the 2020 version of AAMA TIR-A14.

We also updated a technical document intended to aid in the selection, use and application of sealants commonly used in fenestration systems. AAMA 851, Fenestration Sealants Guide for Windows, Window Walls and Curtain Walls, an FGIA standard, is the first update to this document, originally published in 2009. It’s a resource to help identify areas of consideration when selecting sealant systems, advising on proper joint design and end performance requirements critical to meeting intended design loads and maintaining quality, long lasting products. AAMA 851 reviews the type of sealants currently in use and their application following accepted standard practices.

The FGIA has developed a new document providing a standard procedure for the measurement of surface temperatures to be used in the condensation evaluation of exterior walls under laboratory conditions. AAMA 501.9, Surface Temperature Assessment for Condensation Evaluation of Exterior Wall Systems is another optional test that can be performed in conjunction with a project-specific curtain wall mock-up. It uses a similar test apparatus to that used in AAMA 501.5, Test Method for Thermal Cycling of Exterior Walls. While AAMA 501.5 is only concerned with the effect of temperature cycling and thermal movement on the wall system, AAMA 501.9 is used to measure temperatures on the interior surface of the wall at designated exterior and interior ambient air temperatures. The resulting surface temperatures can then be compared to anticipated dew point temperatures that may occur in the actual building at similar, as tested, temperatures on the interior and exterior and a defined interior relative humidity. Users should note that AAMA 501.9 is not a replacement for AAMA 1503, another FGIA voluntary test method, which determines a condensation resistance factor rating on a standardized size and standardized conditions. AAMA 501.9 can be used to evaluate the potential for interior condensation formation under wintertime conditions only. AAMA 450, Performance Rating Method for Mulled Combination Assemblies, Composite Units and Other Mulled Fenestration Systems, was also recently published by FGIA, offering procedures and requirements for determining the air leakage, water resistance and structural performance of mulled fenestration systems.

We’ve also updated a document intended to help one understand the value and effective application of plastic glazed skylights and sloped glazing in a building design as well as the features and benefits of different plastic glazing materials. This is the second update to AAMA PSSG-20, Selection and Application Guide for Plastic Glazed Skylights and Sloped Glazing, originally published in 2016. PSSG provides the architect, engineer, contractor and property owner the with guidance to best leverage plastic glazed skylights and sloped glazing advantages by giving sound technical information on the various aspects and considerations that need to be taken into account when incorporating them into a building design. The reader is encouraged to explore all the skylight publications for a complete understanding of the properties associated with skylights. FGIA’s documents are available for purchase in the FGIA Online Store, available at store.FGIAonline.org. •

Margaret Webb, FGIA glass products and Canadian industry affairs director