Wherever you are in the world, you can probably find yourself in the nearby vicinity of some great architecture. I know that I like to look for unique details on buildings, especially older buildings. It’s often these features that make the building stand out. Speaking on a personal note, whenever glass is involved that makes the building even better. There are plenty of impressive glass-laden projects of late, and it’s time we pay tribute to some of the best.

If you’ve had a look at the May USGlass magazine you saw that we’ve announced our first design awards, which will recognize excellence in the use of architectural glass and glazing. These awards will highlight exemplary uses of glass and glazing products in both interior and exterior applications. The competition is open to all members of the architectural glazing industry, including contract glaziers, glass and metal fabricators and suppliers, architects and building envelope/façade consultants. These awards will highlight design innovation, aesthetic achievements and technical difficulty of the project—all while incorporating glass and metal as dominant building materials. Categories include:

• Low- to Mid-Rise Construction (under 75 feet)
• High-Rise Construction (more than 75 feet)
• Commercial Interiors (podium, lobby spaces, etc.)
• Specialty Construction

I’m also so excited to announce the stellar line up of judges, who are all top-notch in their fields:

• Anthony Cinnamon, Wiss, Janney Elstner Associates Inc.
• Richard Green, Front Inc.
• James O’Callaghan, Eckersley O’Callaghan Engineers
• Mic Patterson, Ambassador of Innovation & Collaboration, Facade Tectonics Institute

We are so excited to be working with this team of distinguished judges, and we’re excited to see your projects! I can’t wait to see what comes in as far as submissions. I am sure they will all be impressive. If you have a project you’d like to enter, you can do so here: https://usglassmag.com/designawards/.

Entries are due by August 15 and will be announced in the January 2020 issue of USGlass magazine.

I’ll be hitting the road to Las Vegas soon, headed to this year’s AIA Conference on Architecture. Will you be there? If so, be sure to stop by and see us on Booth 7510.