Glass and Glazing Activity Making Positive Turnaround

The value of architectural glass-related spending in nonresidential construction edged up in October. Spending increased by close to a half-percent year-over-year on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to Key Media & Research (KMR), a leading information provider to the glass industry.

KMR’s glass and glazing activity figures are developed from construction spending data, with proprietary weighting and models applied to industry-relevant subsectors. “Spending” and “activity” are used interchangeably and represent the value of ongoing glass-relevant construction during a particular period.

Commercial glazing activity strengthened in October, increasing 2.4% compared to the same month a year ago. While the lodging category continues to decline at a significant rate of nearly 34%, office construction ticked up by over 1% and the “other” commercial subcategory was up by well over 11%.

While the commercial side of glass and glazing spending has begun to turn around, the institutional segment is still moderating, as it declined by 1.9% from October 2020 to October 2021. Activity in healthcare building increased by over 5%, while education-related construction was down over 3%.

Overall nonresidential glass and glazing activity saw a 0.6% increase on a month-to-month basis.