Glass Consultant
Who needs a Glass Consultant?
- Architects who specify window and curtainwall glass for buildings
- Building owners who experience glass problems such as glass breakage or fogging of glass
- Attorneys who are pursuing matters involving glass defects or glass safety
- Manufacturers who have issues with glass quality or performance
Why are Glass Consultants needed?
Glass is a lot more complicated than it looks. Take what might seem like a simple case: A glass shower door shatters and injures the bather. Is this a simple matter? Not at all.
A glass consultant would review the installation, the parties, the glass quality, the glass fabrication quality, the hardware and the history of the shower door. Through experience and data collected, a most-likely theory is developed and presented.
What does a Glass Consultant do?
- Utilizes professional experience and education for the benefit of clients
- Employs testing equipment to test glass quality
- Performs forensic investigations to determine the nature and extent of problems
- Educates clients and other parties regarding the technical aspects of an issue
- Renders opinions regarding causes and solutions of problems
Questions an Architect or Specifier might ask a Glass Consultant
- What “U-factor” should I specify?
- What glass thickness will meet wind load?
- What are the relative costs of different glass types?
- What SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient) is right for my building?
- Should I specify different performance for different elevations?
- Should I use a pyrolytic or vacuum deposition Low-E coating?
- What surface should the Low-E coating be applied to?
- Should I use argon or krypton in the airspace?
- Will my insulated glass need breather tubes?
- Should I use a single seal or dual seal insulated unit?
- What warm edge technology is the most reliable?
- Where should I use safety glass?
- Should I use safety glass in areas not required by code?
- What type of safety glass should I use?
- Is vacuum glass technology ready for use on my building?
- Can I incorporate dynamically dimmable glass in my new windows?
- Is PV (photovoltaic) ready to be incorporated into my design?
- How can I make sure my glass is hurricane resistant?
Questions a Building Owner might ask a Glass Consultant
- My window glass is breaking. What should I do?
- What are our options for reducing glare and fading of furniture?
- Some of our glass is fogging up? Will the problem get worse?
- A window washer scratched my glass. Can it be fixed?
- My glass is showing strange discoloration. What is it and what can be done?
- How do I know if my building has safety glass in the right locations?
- There was an explosion next door. Did it harm my glass?
Questions an Attorney might ask a Glass Consultant
- What are the proximal causes of the glass defect or broken glass injury that took place?
- What type of approach would be most appropriate for analyzing and reporting the glass problem?
- What will it cost to involve a Glass Consultant in this matter?
- Have we included all of the appropriate parties in the complaint?
Questions a window or glass manufacturer might ask a Glass Consultant
- To what extent is my liability in the current issue?
- Was my product installed correctly in the field?
- Can you help me negotiate a reasonable settlement for the problem at hand?
- What processes or procedures should I adopt to provide better product quality?
Read more…
Annealed Glass, Heat Strengthened Glass, Tempered Glass and Insulated Glass
The Lowdown on Low-E Glass
If you need a Glass Consultant…
Contact Mark Meshulam at
Mark@ChicagoWindowExpert.com
847-878-8922