Glass standards to reflect climate priorities

Three Canadian glass standards will be updated in keeping with priorities for climate resiliency. That will also allow the obsolete standard outlining procedures for the structural design and production of glass for buildings to be brought back into active use. The current 33-year-old version is so outdated it has been withdrawn from the Canadian General Standards Board’s (CGSB) offerings.

The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has approved funding for that work, along with updates to the standards for safety glazing and insulating glass units, as part of a program to develop standards for climate resilient buildings and infrastructure. That’s also identified as a priority in SCC’s recently released National Standards Strategy, which specifically references standards to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation in building design and construction.

“To have the Standards to Support Resilience in Infrastructure Program, led by the Standards Council of Canada, offering funding for updating these valuable glass standards is a big step forward,” says Amy Roberts, director of Canadian and technical glass operations with the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA). “With changes to the National Building Codes as well as more stringent energy requirements, keeping the standards relevant is vitally important.”