Continued from Building Energy Benchmarking and Window/Curtainwall Retrofit Part 1 I am excited about a little-known approach for window or curtainwall retrofit that can create dramatic improvements in building performance at a far lower cost with no down-time, showing energy paybacks in as little as only five years! Interior mounted supplemental window system The solution, sometimes called a commercial interior storm window is to add…
Energy Benchmarking and Window/Curtainwall Retrofit Part 2
Glass Evidence in Crimes and Accidents
Understanding and preserving glass evidence can make your case stick! Thanks to Robert Gundacker, Yavapai County (Arizona) Public Defender for the inspiration to write this article. “Rapist broke window and entered house”“Woman broke though glass and fell to her death”“Murder occurred in car. Broken glass may hold clues about who shot first.”“Bank robber may have shot at swat team through glass door”“Glass strength at…
Broken Glass Evidence in Crimes and Accidents Part 2
Broken glass evidence can be critical in solving crimes and reconstructing accidents.Here are the basics… Continued from Broken Glass Evidence in Crimes and Accidents Part 1 Understanding broken glass evidence #7Injuries from glass for first responders When annealed glass breaks under relatively moderate force, the largest shards that remain in the opening can be extremely dangerous to victims and first responders. Glass that remains in the…
Windows for Buildings: Window Types & Materials
Use the best window types for your project! Architects and engineers, take this course for PDH credit here. Window Types First let’s start with a couple of charts that show window types organized by category, with architectural symbols for these window products: Fixed Windows The simplest type of window is a fixed window. It has no moving parts and does not open. It usually consists…
Best Windows for Energy and Comfort
Architects and engineers, take this course for PDH credit here. The Significance of Windows Windows, and their related products window walls, curtainwalls and skylights are a significant and important aspect of nearly every building. These products are infinitely configurable design elements. The best windows bring lasting beauty to the building through the use of proportion, texture, color, shadow and light.Windows allow building occupants to connect…
Breaking Glass Shower Doors & Enclosures
Breaking glass shower doors in the news… There has been news coverage lately about breaking glass shower doors and enclosures. Here are two, both of which included yours truly as a quoted resource: Recent news stories on the subject of breaking glass shower doors from CBS (left) and ABC (right) quoted Chicago Window Expert. Thank you CBS and ABC! Whereas TV news is obliged to hurry…
Glass Breakage and Pre-Existing Damage
Mark Meshulam is an expert witness and exterior facade consultant specializing in glass breakage, located in Northbrook, IL, USA Glass breakage can be dangerous or deadly. Here are some legal matters I have been involved with as an expert witness: A large bathroom mirror became detached from the wall, broke and injured the occupant who was unclothed A storm window blew off a building and…
Restoring Steel Windows
Until the late 1940’s, the materials of choice for window frames was steel or wood. Later, aluminum, vinyl and clad wood came on the scene to displace those venerable materials. Steel windows became obsolete because aluminum offered greater versatility in cross-sectional shape due to the extrusion process.
Child Falls from Windows: Preventable!
Child falls from windows continues to be a worldwide epidemic Mark Meshulam is an expert witness for cases of child falls from windows and a window safety consultant. As long as there is gravity and windows it is sadly inevitable that there will be people falling from windows, resulting in injury or death. Unfortunately, most who suffer these window fall accidents are children, and most…
Test Your Mettle at Construction Research Lab
Mark Meshulam is a construction consultant located in Northbrook, IL. He is an expert in mockup testing. Video: A Visit with Sak 2009 This article, originally written in 2006 is being reprinted here in very fond memory of my friend A.A. Sakhnovsky, a pioneer in the field of building performance mockup testing. Sak passed away on Fathers Day, 2011. He was 85 years old. The Construction…