Some of the world’s most innovative, architectural glazing trends originated in Europe before making their way across the pond to become mainstream North American designs. Anyone looking for a good excuse to check out some of those innovations and expand their glazing application knowledge can find all of that and more during the 11th Glass Performance Days (GPD), which will take place June 12-15 in Tampere, Finland. Reduced registration is available for anyone registering before March 31, 2009. The event has been a source of inspiration for architectural glass applications since it was launched in 1992, and while this year will be no exception, the event will also expand to include an in-depth forum for architects specifically.The GPD Architects´ Forum was developed in cooperation with professor Ulrich Knaack of the TU University of Delft, The Netherlands, professor Jens Schneider of the University of Frankfurt, Germany and the architectural department of the local university of Tampere, Finland. Forum organizers say the event will be a meeting point for the specialists who design buildings, the glass suppliers and the entire supply chain in between.

The forum, which will take place on Saturday, June 13, will focus on a number of different areas including:

· Combining architectural concepts, ideas and requirements of sustainable development as design criteria;
· Project presentations that focus on innovative glass uses, technical solutions, challenges and creative conclusions;
· Glass as a building element in new structures and façade designs;
· The energy-efficiency of glass, energy economy, energy generation, photovoltaic glass and advanced coatings;
· Modern daylighting in high-rise structures to create green skyscrapers;
· Design criteria, interaction and cooperation in the glass industry supply chain;
· “Intelligent” glass applications; and
· How glass processors can facilitate new architectural designs.

Specific seminars scheduled that will be presented by architects and structural engineers include: “Light in the Public Realm,” by James Carpenter of James Carpenter Design Associates Inc.; “Thinking Big with Structural Glass,” by James O’Callaghan of Eckersley O’Callaghan Ltd.; and “Cold Bent Glass Curtainwall for the 78-Story Jinta Office Tower,” by Keith Boswell of SOM.

CLICK HERE for additional program and event information.