Mary Avery

Mary Avery

Mary Avery serves as senior director of product management for Tubelite, Alumicor EFCO and Linetec brands. Commercial glazing contractors have depended on these architectural aluminum products for more than 75 years. Learn more at  www.tubeliteusa.com. Opinions expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the position of the National Glass Association or Glass Magazine.

Sustainability Standards Create Opportunities

Like safety, sustainability has evolved to become an expected part of the conversation for commercial glazing projects. In most cases, architects drive the discussion as to which standards and what stringency of criteria.   

Top of the Class: High-performance fenestration adds value to higher education

With more than 20 million people enrolled in 11,800+ post-secondary educational institutions in the U.S., high-performance fenestration systems are proven to add value beyond the bottom-line.

Consider the Corner

Aluminum entry doors with tie-rod corner construction offer better serviceability, flexibility and longevity compared to welded or shear clip designs, allowing easier modifications and repairs, making them a cost-effective, durable option for high-traffic installations.

High-Performance Fenestration Gives Health Care a Clear Advantage

In all climates and conditions, high-performance fenestration and glazing systems give healthcare facilities a clear advantage. In 2023, 41% of hospitals invested in, upgraded or improved their building envelope according to American Society of Health Care Engineers’ Hospital Construction…

IECC 2024 and Its Implications for Vertical Fenestration

Changes are in store for the updated International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). Revisions for air leakage on the building envelope, and significant changes to U-factors in zones 3-4 are in store, with special implications for vertical fenestration.

Demystifying the Build America, Buy America Act

Several pieces of U.S. legislation encourage American made construction materials. Understanding the recently updated Build America Buy America Act is critical to sourcing and fabricating aluminum fenestration in accordance with new policies.

Understanding force requirements and ADA accessibility for windows

The Americans with Disabilities Act is civil rights law, not a building code or test method. Because of this, there are key considerations for designing to ADA, and testing systems to be ADA-capable.

Current product-specific EPDs depend on new fenestration PCR

For fenestration manufacturers, the road to LEED v4.1 certification has been made more difficult recently by a defunct program operator for the product category rule. With a new PCR for fenestration developed with a coalition of industry groups, including NGA, companies will now be able to qualify…

How to keep people cool with thermally broken framing

Temperatures are heating up. Systems that are thermally-broken help reduce heat transfer, and thus keep building occupants cooler, which often results in happier, more productive employees, in case of businesses.

Supporting a smart, skilled workforce

BLS employment numbers suggest that manufacturing and specialty contractors are adding employees. Employers can look to a variety of glass industry education resources to train these new workers.

How Do Paints and Anodizes Affect LEED Credits?

In this final installment of our series on earning LEED v4 points, we'll look at anodizes and finishes, and learn what to consider for your project.

A Guide to Earning LEED Points: Materials and Resources’ Building Product Disclosure and Optimization

The newest version of LEED includes a Materials and Resources’ Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, which can add two points to a total score. Manufacturers can earn those two points through two different methods: using reporting compliance or providing compliant material ingredient…

Deciphering LEED credits: Environmental Product Declarations

How do environmental product declarations affect your projects' LEED score? What should glazing contractors know? In this second installment of our blog series, we’ll cover EPDs, what they are, the types used for compliance, and how they can be used on your project to satisfy LEED requirements

Deciphering LEED Credits

More than 100,000 projects currently use the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating systems to meet and verify their sustainability goals. It’s great to see this commitment, but what does it mean for glazing contractors? In this four-part blog series, we’ll decipher how aluminum-framed…

How to Choose Entrance Systems

Doors and entrances systems are used by everyone, every time someone goes in or out of a building. Choosing a dependable system to meet your project’s traffic flow is important to ensuring it performs as specified and intended. Not only is this essential for effective operations and accessibility,…

Deciphering Doors

Commercial architectural trends continue to incorporate large entrances that make a big impression. Creating this experience for a building’s occupants and visitors starts with a single door.

5 Common Challenges with Entry Door Installation (and How to Avoid Them)

When you’re at the jobsite and ready to install your aluminum framed entrance systems, you want everything to go smoothly and quickly for an exact fit, followed by many years of dependable use. To make sure your entry-door install goes well, here are five common mistakes glass industry…