Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass adds 3-part spec feature to “Construct” Tool

First-of-its-kind tool simplifies complicated spec-writing process for architects

PITTSBURGH, February 9, 2017 — Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) has added a new feature to the Vitro Glass “Construct” tool that enables users to quickly generate 3-part specifications in the Construction Specifiers Institute (CSI) format, which is the basis for all building construction documentation in North America.

Architects, glazing contractors, glass fabricators and building professionals currently use the Vitro Glass Construct tool to search, construct and compare virtual configurations for monolithic glazings, multi-pane insulating glass units (IGUs), decorative glasses and spandrel glasses. The new feature permits them to generate, with a single keystroke or mouse-click, industry-standard 3-part CSI specifications for any such configuration they create using the Construct tool, as long as it contains 100-percent Vitro Glass products.

Steve Marino, technical support manager, Vitro Architectural Glass, said the spec-generation feature is the first of its kind in the glass industry. “Our Construct tool is widely used because it enables architects and industry professionals to save time by comparing multiple glazing configurations online for performance and aesthetics,” he said. “The new feature makes the Construct tool even more versatile and valuable by instantly generating required construction documents for those configurations as well.”

The 3-part CSI specification lists performance data for individual glazing configurations such as glass thickness, visible light transmittance (VLT), interior and exterior reflectance, winter nighttime u-value, solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) and light-to-solar gain (LSG) ratio. It also contains descriptions for the glass products used in the glazing configuration, along with related certification standards, testing and compliance requirements, sourcing information and more.

The Vitro Glass Construct tool incorporates several other exclusive features to create the most comprehensive and easy-to-use online specification instrument in the glass industry, including:

  • Password-free access to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) International Glazing Database (IGDB)—North America’s largest, most accurate and most trusted repository of glass-product performance data—for use with the WINDOW 7.3 software.
  • The ability to customize reports according to user-defined criteria, and to personalize them with the name of a building project, the logo of the architectural firm and other user-provided artwork.

To learn more about generating 3-part specifications with the Vitro Glass Construct tool, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

About Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass, part of Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: VITROA), is the largest glass producer in the Western Hemisphere, manufacturing a range of industry-leading, energy-efficient, high-performance products such as Solarban®, Sungate® and Starphire Ultra-Clear® glasses. Committed to continually raising the industry standard for sustainability, Vitro was the first U.S. glass manufacturer to have its complete collection of architectural glass products earn Cradle to Cradle Certified® status and the first North American manufacturer to publish third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for flat glass and processed glass products. Additionally, as of April 2024, all Vitro architectural glass products meet the Top 20% Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) material Global Warming Potential (GWP) threshold the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) established pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vitro operates seven glass production facilities across North America, four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada and one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit VitroGlazings.com.

Vitro Architectural Glass

Media Contact:
Robert J. Struble
Vitro Architectural Glass
412-820-8138
rstruble@vitro.com
www.vitroglazings.com