Glass Panels Removed from All Balconies at Austin W
July 5, 2011

Installation of temporary engineered wood panels at the W Austin Hotel and Residences began Saturday morning as all remaining balcony glass panels were removed Friday. Austin Industries, the general contractor on the project, said Custom Components Company LLC, supplier of the railing systems, is fully cooperating with all parties concerned regarding the glass breakage situation.

"Custom Components Company, through its US Railing brand, provided balcony railing and tempered safety glass panels that complied with the specifications provided by the project team. All glass panels conform to the most stringent [ANSI] Z-97-1-2004UA performance standards," reads the statement. "At this time, no determination has been made as to the cause of the three glass panels breaking, whether it be from construction damage, airborne debris falling and striking the glass, spontaneous breakage or vandalism.

Austin Industries noted that Custom Components Company worked with the glass removal teams to ensure the removal of all 1,000 pieces, and along with the glass manufacturer, Xinyi Glass (XYG), has secured the services of an independent testing company to validate that the tempered glass meets all the aforementioned [ANSI] standards.

At press time information about the companies that performed the glass removal was not available.

Need more info and analysis about the issues?
CLICK HERE to subscribe to USGlass magazine.