The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) heard speakers on a range of topics at the 78th Annual Conference held Feb. 15-18 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Subjects discussed included next-generation replacement of windows, standardization for fenestration products in the European Union, the basics of color measurement and more.

Jim Snyder talks next-generation replacement

Jim Snyder, owner of the company WindowJim, spoke to conference attendees about the paradox of next-generation window replacement – a complex problem that will take time to resolve. While the industry relies on replacement, Snyder said, window manufacturers are saddled with the blame of installation failures. However, this is not to say the matter is hopeless.

Snyder urged attendees to think about prevention, and also involving others who do not have a vested interest, such as builders and architects. Enforcing proper installation in new construction is also key.

“Replacement can no longer be an afterthought,” said Snyder. “It’s a second opportunity to sell a window package to the same house. If replacement isn’t doable, we’re losing that opportunity.”

Frank Koos explains European legislation, standardization for fenestration products

Frank Koos, general secretary of EuroWindoor, discussed the construction sector in Europe, the legislation that governs it, the European window markets and other areas of international interest. He gave an outlook to the next challenges for construction projects in the EU, including stronger requirements for energy efficiency, restrictions on the use of certain hazardous substances and the concept of Sustainability Assessment for Building Certification.

Different national standards cause barriers to trade and create the necessity for multiple testing requirements and thus fees, Koos said.

“What the customer expects is not always what he gets,” said Koos, adding that product characteristics must be suitable. “Different projects require different product performance.”

Greg Shrider discusses the basics of color measurement

BYK-Gardner’s global business manager, Greg Shrider, covered the basics of color measurement including a discussion of color spaces and the methods of evaluating changes or differences in color. He offered attendees a better understanding of the Hunter and CIELAB color space systems and of color difference equations including the use of ellipsoid values to set pass/fail color tolerances.

“Although we think we see color well, we really don’t,” said Shrider, adding that color perception is subjective depending upon age, gender and mood. “The eye is a wonderful tool, adaptive and creative; however, it has a flaw: We have two different types of sensors – cones and rods.” The Wright/Guild Experiment focused red/blue energy on one screen and a variable input on the other. Smaller area of view did not respond well to color viewing.

“We see differences in hue (color) first, then chroma (saturation) and last, we see lightness or darkness,” said Shrider

For fenestration manufacturers, it is important to visually evaluate color matches to align with customer acceptability. Shrider recommended using the instrument geometry that aligns with goals and materials being used. Color tolerances that align with visual assessment are elliptical and vary in size and shape depending upon location in color space. The higher the chroma or more saturated color, the larger the ellipse. He stressed that elliptical color tolerances have weighted deltas.

Keeping in mind all of these factors will better enable manufacturers to meet customer expectations according to Shrider.