I was in Las Vegas earlier this month attending the National Glass Association’s Building Envelope Contractor’s (BEC) Conference. During casual conversation, more than one glazier brought up concerns over meeting the challenges of installation liability.
For one glazier, the discussion was about the size of the internal department required to assess risk. And even with this department on hand, how this work can temporarily prioritize attention away from more critical project tasks.
A smaller glazier I spoke with did not have engineering staff, and thus generally avoided quoting more risky projects or parts of projects. He noted how moving documents back and forth can lead to severe risk and time and cost impacts.
A solution to both concerns is straightforward: have a knowledgeable glass and metal fabricator deliver a complete “erector set” like kit of products – on time, ready for installation, complete with stamped engineering drawings.
Realistically, we are probably not talking whole buildings. Rather, I’m envisioning structural walls, entrances, vestibules, canopies, guardrails, executive glass offices, and so on. The smaller (but important) part of the overall project that gets lower priority for a glazier building “a monument.” Or the entire project for a smaller glazier for which installation flow is everything to his profit margin.
At Glass + Metal Craft, we’ve always recognized the glazier as our primary customer. Thus we listen and learn and address their biggest concerns, like this.
And so we’ve invested in a top drawer engineering department. It’s central to our belief that every architectural system we deliver should come with the least amount of liability and headache. We want to provide the design assistance glaziers need to turn quotes around quickly. And that’s credible quotes, with significant detail. We will continually think through the best way to kit a deliverable to simplify installation. And so on.
It’s a commitment where everyone comes up a winner.