At AIA Show 2006, Things Are Good, the Primaries Say

The primary glass manufacturers don't always see eye to eye, but talking with representatives at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) show last week in Los Angeles, there is unanimous agreement.

"Things are good," said Scott Hoover, senior manager-architectural marketing for Pilkington North America, standing in the Toledo, Ohio-based manufacturer's dynamic new booth on the trade show floor. "Commercial is starting to open up and residential is still strong," he added.
"Things are going well," echoed Joe Staffileno, manager national sales for ACH Glass Operations in Allen Park, Mich. "We're selling all the glass we can make," backed up Cynthia Coulter, senior manager sales and marketing for the company.

"The market looks good," opined PPG's Pat Kenny. "Commercial is strong and residential may be slowing a little, but it still looks good to me," he added.

Jon Hughes, manager architectural sales for AFG Glass in Kingsport, Tenn., made it unanimous when he said, "Things are good."

What seemed to be making everyone so happy?

"Low-E continues to grow beyond our expectations," stated Pilkington's Hoover. He said his company has found that architects and designers like a subtle reflectivity.

AFG's Hughes said his company is seeing a high demand for high-transmission, low-E products that deliver good energy efficiency performance. He also pointed out that post-temperable glass is still growing and that second-surface low-E glass is a popular construction. "We're getting more complex with specturally selective coatings," he said of the primary glass manufacturers. "There are so many of these products available now and they are similar," he added.

Hughes also pointed to the popularity of laminated glass use, which is growing for security applications as well as hurricane-resistant use.