Improved Education, Research and Resources 

Dear Vitro Certified™ Network Member, 

We’re three quarters of the way through the first-ever International Year of Glass, and despite industry-specific and global challenges that continue to make glass production challenging, our team at Vitro is as committed as ever to creating helpful educational resources, investing in new products and developing advanced tools and superior resources for Vitro Certified™ Network members. 

Nearly a year ago, Vitro launched VacuMax™ Vacuum Insulating Glass (VIG), an innovative product that offers wall-like insulation performance with an R-value of R14⁺. To help architects better understand the benefits and utility of VacuMax™ VIG, Vitro is teaming up with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to launch a Continuing Education course all about vacuum insulating glass. We anticipate this course will lead to increased interest (and specification) of VacuMax™ VIG in 2023. 

Vitro is also working with Cosentini Associates, a building system consulting firm, to conduct a case study of a 1-million square foot office building with monolithic clear glass. Researchers ran an energy modeling study to estimate potential energy and operational savings if existing clear glass were to be replaced by VacuMax™ VIG, and their results show major decreases in HVAC use, carbon emissions and operations costs. Soon we’ll publish the full results, so keep an eye out for this promising research. 

Later this year, several popular Vitro Glass products – Solarban^® 67, Solarban^® z50 and Solarban^® z75 glasses – will receive new names. The products themselves will remain exactly the same, and we hope their new names will make it easier for architects to select and specify the right product for their projects. We’ll make sure when the times comes that our Vitro Certified™ fabricators will have all the information necessary to reassure customers of Vitro’s enduring glass quality, regardless of naming updates. Watch for more news – and the new names – in the near future. 

Also coming soon is the all-new Vitro Certified™ Network website, which has been quietly undergoing an extensive update. Once launched, the new site will be an enhanced hub of helpful information and new resources you can access 24/7. 

I hope you enjoy the third issue of this year’s newsletter, which takes a closer look at green building codes and climate zones, presents a case study of 70 Rainey in Austin, and helps you get to know Dan Sutton, Vitro’s product manager for value added products. 

Don’t forget – Vitro will be at GlassBuild this October, and you can join us for free with our code “GBAEX22.” We hope to see you there! 

Sincerely,  

Mark Seeton
Vice President, Sales
Vitro Architectural Glass