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Top Glass returns

Riding the momentum of its smashing debut last year, Glass Canada is
once again bringing Top Glass to the International Centre in
Mississauga, Ont., on April 15.

Riding the momentum of its smashing debut last year, Glass Canada is once again bringing Top Glass to the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., on April 15. The one-day conference and supplier expo will bring together glazing contractors, building envelope fabricators, architects and specifiers for a one-of-a-kind opportunity to learn about critical topics in the glass construction industry, meet some key industry leaders, browse the latest technology and services and re-connect with old friends. The focus is on commercial architectural glazing – and it’s the only show of its kind in Canada.

It’s Glass Canada’s annual celebration of everything that makes our commercial glazing trade great. Canadian building envelope fabricators and glazing contractors execute some of the most advanced designs in the world, and Top Glass is your opportunity to find out what is new and what is coming.

Top Glass 2015 will feature an enhanced seminar program with a very special educational opportunity that no one involved in facade construction can afford to miss. Breaking and falling balcony glass has been a lightning-rod issue in major urban centres across the country for years, and Top Glass attendees will have an exclusive sneak peek at the CSA’s draft A500 standard for Building Guards, due for publication later this year. Unless you are on one of the industry technical committees developing the standard, this will be your first chance to see the standard before it is released to the public. Paul Gulletson, the CSA project manager in charge of coordinating stakeholder input for the standard, will give attendees the lowdown. You may be surprised at what is in this new document; it is significantly different from the U.S. approaches to this issue.

The A500 talk will only be the start of what promises to be a day of extremely valuable, exclusive, industry education. Where else can you hear Ehab Naim Ibrahim and Hamid Vossoughi of Halsall Associates share their experiences with Asian curtain wall products in a presentation sure to get tongues wagging. Then, Stephane Hoffman of Morrison Hershfeld runs down recent critical changes to commercial facade codes and standards and includes examples of how his team meets them – for free! Finally, glaziers and fabricators can get a new understanding of what is possible when AGNORA’s Louis Moreau shares some of the Collingwood, Ont., fabricator’s adventures in designing and building “big-ass glass.”

Booth sales have been brisk and the Top Glass show floor will once again feature a great round-up of Canada’s top suppliers. You can see a preview of some of the products that will be on display on page X.

Use your time at Top Glass to connect with some of the great organizations that work hard to promote and advance this industry. You will find the Ontario Glass and Metal Association, the Canadian Glass Association, the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance and the Construction Specification Canada Toronto Chapter on our show floor. In a very special event, the OGMA will be presenting its Award of Excellence for top glazing project in Ontario on the show floor. Who will win?

Sneak Peek: A look at the draft CSA A500 Building Guards standard
There has been no hotter topic over the past few years in the Canadian glass industry than balcony glass failures, and Top Glass will be your chance to get a sneak preview of the new CSA A500 Building Guards standard. CSA standards are often referenced in the Canadian National Building Code and other codes across the country. 

Key technical requirements will be presented from the draft standard in its present form. The pre-eminent standards development organization in Canada, CSA Group is currently working with regulators, developers, manufacturers, and consultants to develop a consensus-based standard to address the design of building guards. Developed through a consensus process, this standard is targeted for publication later in 2015. This presentation will provide an overview of CSA Group and the accredited consensus process used to develop the draft standard CSA A500 Building Guards.

Paul Gulletson

Since 2011, Paul Gulletson has been a project manager in the Built Environment Group at CSA where he manages a portfolio of technical committees that are responsible for developing a variety of standards for construction and civil infrastructure. Working with a diverse group of stakeholders and volunteer technical experts from across Canada and the U.S., Paul has facilitated CSA’s accredited  consensus process to develop  standards including CSA O86 Engineering Design in Wood, CSA A770 Home Inspection, CSA B805 Rainwater Harvesting Systems, and the new standard in development, CSA A500 Building Guards. Before joining CSA Group, Paul managed technical development projects as an applications and project engineer for an industrial manufacturer. Paul received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from McGill University and is a licensed professional engineer in the province of Ontario.

Off-Shore (Asian) Curtain Wall and Glazing: Challenges and opportunities
Off-shore curtain wall and glazing systems have become popular over the past few years primarily due to their cost competitiveness. This has created concerns for North American suppliers not only with respect to potential unfair pricing, but also for the design and construction community with respect to quality control and delivery issues. It is inevitable that supply of such systems entering the Canadian market will likely grow given the global marketplace. This presentation will discuss our direct experience, including the challenges and opportunities we faced delivering projects using such systems. We will also look into the future and the potential positive impact that this may have in our curtain wall and glazing industry.

This seminar is presented courtesy of the Ontario Glass and Metal Association.

Ehab Naim

Ehab Naim Ibrahim, MRAIC, BSSO, LEED AP, is a building science consultant and project manager at Halsall Associates. Ehab’s consulting objectives are to creatively develop and improve successful construction practices through teamwork and interaction with design professionals, installation trades and contracting divisions. Ehab’s major focus areas are on innovative envelope solutions, sustainability, service development, and active consulting on constructability and durability aspects of façade designs. He also assists with detailed efficient solutions, overseeing construction document and specification reviews, as well as dynamically establishing concepts for non-traditional façade systems integrating innovative concepts and technologies.  Ehab has over 22 years of experience working in architectural firms, manufacturing, and consulting firms in both Canada and Germany. His specialty is curtain wall and glazing, with direct experience working with off-shore curtain wall systems.

Hamid Vossoughi

Hamid Vossoughi, M.Sc.Eng., P.E., P.Eng., is a project principal at Halsall. Hamid is driven by delivering unique solutions to complex and challenging problems by exploring innovative solutions with each new project, based on his diverse experience in structural and restoration engineering combined with his specialty contracting experience, Hamid strives to deliver an optimum solution meeting the client’s business and technical needs on every project. Hamid has over 27 years of experience in consulting and construction. His focus is on design, repair and renewal of building façades.

Practical Solutions to Standards Challenges in Facade Glazing
Design and construction must address minimum standards required by Canadian and Ontario building codes. Additional requirements may be imposed by insurers and clients to achieve better quality and higher performance. This presentation will give a summary of current building code requirements of relevance to the design and construction of glazed facades in Ontario (National Energy Code for Buildings 2011, OBC Supplementary Standards SB-10, Energy Star, LEED). Illustrations from recent work by the MH Building Performance Group will show the effective thermal performance of thermal bridging in building envelope systems. Practical examples will illustrate effects of current codes individually and in combination that should be addressed while design is still fluid, so that the design can achieve the performance required by the client. Potential performance-related consequences of failure to address these requirements will be discussed and illustrated.

Stéphane Hoffman

Stéphane Hoffman joined Morrison Hershfield in 1994. With a Master’s degree level education that combines structural engineering, building science and architecture, Stéphane brings a well-balanced consulting approach to the building envelope, blending scientific analysis with an understanding of aesthetics considerations. He is particularly adept at providing innovative design concepts and construction alternatives that provide value by improving durability and increasing energy efficiency. As a key technical leader, Stéphane has worked on projects throughout North America and led the expansion of Morrison Hershfield’s building science practice in the United States. He now leads their Façade Engineering Group focusing on conceptual design of cladding and glazing systems. As a senior member of the team, his knowledge and skills are leveraged throughout the firm. The breath of his knowledge and experience is often called upon to troubleshoot and help resolve issues on both new and existing buildings.

Building the Big Stuff: Daily fabrication challenges unique to big glass
Glass fabrication and design choices have evolved to enhance installation applications for larger glass panels than formerly thought possible. Large-format fabricators are challenged to enhance esthetics in structural applications. This presentation will look at how raw material sizes differ across markets and fabricated glass components, evaluating the new tools available to fabricators for maximum quality results. Project examples from some of the world’s largest monolithic glass installations will be analyzed.

Louis Moreau

Louis Moreau is a member of the AGNORA start-up team. As senior technical specialist, he brings a unique mix of international experience in float manufacturing, high-performance vacuum coatings, large building glazing and high-end glass fabrication. Louis considers architecture as the purest form of art and he loves glass. He likes to explore the limits of materials and processes in order to come up with innovative, easy-to-build solutions. The most ambitious façade projects he’s worked on include More London Plot 1 and Plot 6; Mid City Place in London, U.K.; Tour Granite in Paris, France; Sperone Westwater Gallery in New York, Queens Museum of Art and Onassis Staircases.