Canada’s premier certified fabricator of Schuco and Reynaers products. All tested in North America to meet NFRC and North American fenestration standards. Uncompromised quality, service and support for over 40 years.
High performance, all aluminum construction. Made in Canada.
This show started with a simple question to Steve Gusterson of Alumicor at an Ontario Glass and Metal Association Race Nite at Woodbine Racetrack in 2012. Why isn’t there a glass show in Canada? I had been editing Glass Canada for just two years at the time and was still getting familiar with the industry. The late Canadian Glass Association had hosted a couple events called Glass Connections but wasn’t getting much traction. Steve told me about the old Image shows in the late ‘80s, but said that once they went away it was too much work for a volunteer association like the OGMA. Putting on a trade event requires months of work finding presenters, selling booths and organizing the venue and show suppliers...not really something that people trying to run their own companies can do in their spare time. We had just hired an event planner (you may remember Tara Jacobs) at Annex Business Media and had all the resources in place. The rest is history.
Today, I probably would not have asked Steve that question. Since Top Glass’ inauguration, and especially in the last three or four years, conferences and exhibitions for architectural glass have popped up all over the place. Facade Tectonics, Facades Plus, AVFQ Congres, the Canadian Glazing Conference, Garibaldi Glass Days and the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance’s Summer Conference all provide great education and networking opportunities on Canadian soil. Some move around from city to city. Some don’t happen every year. Some are more focused on a region or an association membership. But many take a similar form to Top Glass in being a one-day, low-cost, convenient hit of education and relationship-building for glaziers, glass fabricators and architectural glass designers. It may be a coincidence and, if it is, it’s a good one. Our original motivation was to give the industry something it was entirely lacking, and now you, the attendee, are spoiled for choice. There’s plenty of room for all and, as mentioned, we are all doing something slightly different.
That’s why it’s important to stay fresh. To that end, we added our day of local plant tours on April 29. The chance to visit Saand and Bigfoot Door offers a whole dimension of learning and conversation for everyone. The response was quite overwhelming and I regret that we couldn’t accommodate everyone who wanted to come. Sorry if you hit the message that the tours were sold out. Better luck next year! This is certainly something we will bring back for future editions of Top Glass.
Speaking of the future, it is certainly our intent to continue to grow this event to offer ever-more to our attendees and supporters. Taking it to new locations and dates around the country is something we are exploring very seriously, so those who maybe can’t manage the travel to Ontario can take part. Stay tuned.
Patrick Flannery Editor, Glass Canada
Tri-Temp Glass has manufactured tempered glass for showers, railings, entrance systems, interior partitions and architectural glass applications since 2007.
• Tempered up to 96 x 144
• Custom Laminated up to 86 x 144
• Bent Tempered Laminated to 66 x 96
• Back Painted Glass
• SentryGlas Lamination
• Opaci-Coat-300 Spandrel
https://www.hpglazing.com/bird-friendly-glass
9:00 AM - REGISTRATION AND SHOW FLOOR OPENS
10:00 AM - MEET THE FABRICATORS PANEL
We’re going to talk about Canada’s glass industry with four people who know it best. Executives from four of Canada’s fabricators of glazed building facades will take the stage at Top Glass to tackle industry issues, share their insights into the trends that will shape the future, and take your questions about how the products you specify are made. It’s a peek behind the curtain guaranteed to boost your understanding of the architectural glass world.
Andrew Dolphin, General Manager of Glass Operations
BVGlazing Systems
Andrew Dolphin has been in the glazing industry for over 20 years, first with Sherwood Windows and Trulite and for the last six years managing operations at BVGlazing Systems. He is past president of the Ontario Glass and Metal Association and holds a Certified Technical Representative designation from CSC Toronto. He has a degree in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Adam Franklin, CEO Saand
Adam Franklin is CEO of Saand, overseeing over 570,000 square feet of manufacturing space in four facilities. He became CEO two years ago after a 14-year career as a process engineer for the company. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.
Ray Wakefield, Technical Services Manager, Trulite
Ray Wakefield has been in the glass industry since 1977, starting his career at Armalux Glass Industries as a sales representative and moving to Trulite in 1983 as architectural glass manager. He was a director and president of the Insulating Glass Manufacturer’s Association of Canada between 1991 and 2000 and oversaw that association’s merger with the Sealed Insulating Glass Manufacturers Association. Ray has been a member of ASTM International E06 Performance of Buildings task groups and was the chairperson of the Canadian General Standards Board Can12.8 committee for insulating glass. He chaired the ISO TC160 SCWG 4 Insulating Glass Canadian Advisory Committee and was president and governor of the Insulating Glass Certification Council from 2007 to 2011. He was also member of the Canadian Standards Association’s joint A440-11 group developing the North American Fenestration Standard.
Presenter: Amy Roberts, Director of Canadian and Technical Glass Operations, FGIA
Many anti-collision measures aimed at preventing bird impacts are being utilized by designers and installers. Architecturally, they range from shutters to shades and netting to mesh screens. But what is even more exciting are the innovations in bird-friendly glazing itself. In this session, Amy Roberts, FGIA director of Canadian and technical glass operations, will address key topics related to bird-friendly glass including design considerations and trends for specifiers; the connection between energy requirements and bird-friendly requirements; the challenges of fabricating bird-friendly glazing; and what’s next for bird-friendly glass.
The Ontario Glass and Metal Association will present their 2024 Awards of Excellence to two outstanding members of Ontario’s architectural glass community. The Award for Design recognizes great concepts and esthetics in façade construction, and the Award for Execution recognizes a remarkable achievement in manufacturing, delivering and installing a major glazing project. Join the OGMA to celebrate the great work Ontario’s glass people do!
Presenters: Nicola Casciato, Design Principal; Jennifer Davis, Architect
Recladding older towers can make them more energy efficient, more comfortable, and more visually appealing. This approach can counteract the ‘flight to quality’ trend among tenants who many vacate older buildings in favor of newer ones that are amenity-rich and sustainable. Revitalizing older towers is a WZMH Architects core competency. Over the past several decades, we have developed and implemented a wide range of recladding options that dramatically improve not only tenant attraction and retention but also energy performance. The WZMH Recladding Guide outlines the ‘what, why and how’ of recladding and introduces WZMH’s suite of proven and customizable recladding solutions. We will present multiple case studies of completed commercial recladdings. Steps in the design process include analyzing the existing conditions, selecting appropriate systems, and detailing with the knowledge of construction means and methods for occupied buildings. Looking toward the future, recladding is integral to achieving Net Zero for existing buildings. Not only does an existing building represent significant ‘sunk carbon’ compared to new construction, but a building’s systems can only be electrified if the envelope has excellent thermal performance. Based on in-progress ‘net zero deep retrofits’, WZMH will give insights into how architects, engineers and building owners can collaborate to realize ambitious sustainability goals.
Presenter: Terry Adamson, Technical Director, Fenestration Canada From his perch atop Fenestration Canada’s technical services department, Terry Adamson has the advance scoop on upcoming changes to the codes, standards, regulations and laws that govern how we build glazed facades. In this presentation, he gives us an overview of the main regulations controlling the energy performance of Part 3 building envelopes in the various jurisdictions across the country and notes recent changes and coming updates. He will also note where shifting regulations are likely to change how facades need to be designed to meet code in the future.
4:00
All attendees returning their show feedback survey will be emailed certificates of attendance suitable for Continuing Education self-reporting requirements at most professional organizations.
1-3 Fenestration Canada Lounge
4 Prevost Architectural Aluminum
5 NVOY Architectural Products
6 Halio Smart Tinting
7 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance
8 OGMA
10-11 Laser Product Industries
12 High Performance Glazing
13-14 BigFoot Doors
15-16 BHS Canada Ltd
17 Element Materials Technology
18 Alcurv
19 Horst Klaes GmbH & Co. KG
20-21 INT Machinery
22 Oldcastle Building Envelope
23 JSA Machinerie Inc
24 AGMCA
25 Technoform
26 Novatech - Laurier Architecural
27 Form Canada
28 H.B. Fuller
29 IUPAT
30 Windspec
31 Mappi International
32-33 ScreenCo
34 GlassCan
35-36 Vicone High Performance Rubber
37 Bottero Flat Glass Inc.
39 Ultisol International
40 McGill Architectural Products
41 Kuraray
42-43 Klaas Swaving Ltd.
44 Glass Canada & Fenestration Review
45-46 Flexijet 3D North America
47 Tri-Temp Glass
48 CS2 Construction Sales
49 Trelleborg
50 McGrory Glass
51 Fenzi North America
52 Canplex
53 Ventex Inc.
54 Kear Fabrication Inc.
55 Alumicor
56 Quattrolifts USA
57 Rimac Metal Curving Specialists
59 ETG Exterior Technologies Group
60 Glassopolis
Andrew Dolphin, General Manager of Glass Operations, BVGlazing Systems
Andrew Dolphin has been in the glazing industry for over 20 years, first with Sherwood Windows and Trulite and for the last six years managing operations at BVGlazing Systems. He is past president of the Ontario Glass and Metal Association and holds a Certified Technical Representative designation from CSC Toronto. He has a degree in Economics from the University of Guelph.
Adam Franklin, CEO, Saand
Adam Franklin is CEO of Saand, overseeing over 570,000 square feet of manufacturing space in four facilities. He became CEO two years ago after a 14-year career as a process engineer for the company. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.
Ray Wakefield, Technical Services Manager, Trulite
Ray Wakefield has been in the glass industry since 1977, starting his career at Armalux Glass Industries as a sales representative and moving to Trulite in 1983 as architectural glass manager. He was a director and president of the Insulating Glass Manufacturer’s Association of Canada between 1991 and 2000 Ray has been a member of ASTM International E06 Performance of Buildings task groups and was the chairperson of the Canadian General Standards Board Can12.8 committee for insulating glass. He chaired the ISO TC160 SCWG 4 Insulating Glass Canadian Advisory Committee and was president and governor of the Insulating Glass Certification Council from 2007 to 2011. He was also member of the Canadian Standards Association’s joint A440-11 group developing the North American Fenestration Standard.
Amy Roberts, Director of Canadian and Technical Glass Operations, FGIA
Amy Roberts is the Director of Canadian and Technical Glass Operations for the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance. Roberts has more than 23 years of industry experience in glass and IG manufacturing and in both residential and commercial window manufacturing. She started her fenestration journey working at a residential wood window manufacturer, then moved to a full service residential and commercial glass shop before ultimately landing in glass fabrication, where she spent 16 years in sales. Before joining FGIA, Roberts served as a board member for FenBC, now the FGIA FenBC Region.
Jennifer is experienced in the design and project management of residential, institutional, and commercial building types in Canada and abroad. Prior to joining WZMH in 2021, she spearheaded multi-unit residential projects for affordable housing clients such as Toronto Community Housing and Wigwamen, Ontario’s largest urban Aboriginal housing provider. Through this work, she gained a strong understanding of renovation and overcladding initiatives, as well as experience with community engagement. Jennifer holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto where she is a Sessional Lecturer. In 2019, she received the Centennial Fund from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada for her early career contributions to the architectural profession.
Nicola Casciato, Design Principal, WZMG Architects
Since joining WZMH in 2005, Nicola has brought a high level of energy and creativity to the design of several award-winning projects including the Durham Region Courthouse and BayAdelaide office tower. He leads design teams on projects ranging from mixed-use master plans to highly technical commercial reclads. As a member of London’s Urban Design Review Panel, he contributed expert feedback on development applications and municipal developments. Nicola has a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois and a bachelor’s degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the firm, Nicola was appointed a Principal of WZMH in 2010.
Top Glass works because of support from these outstanding not-for-profit industry organizations.
Terry Adamson, Technical Director, Fenestration Canada
Terry Adamson has spent 38 years in the fenestration industry. He is the epitome of an industry ladder climber. Beginning with Cascade Windows in Langley, B.C., in 1985, he loaded windows onto delivery trucks with an eye on a career and opportunity to advance. With a keen sense of detail, the technical aspects drew him to all facets of development and design with stops in logistics, production, purchasing, sales, then spending eleven years as general manager and 10 years as Technical Director for Westeck Windows just east of Vancouver. He also served for 11 years with WDMA-BC/FenBC to June 2015, including two terms as president, then spent seven years on the board of Fenestration Canada, including one term as association president.
Working with the best fire-rated glass and framing suppliers in the industry — AGC, Forster, and SCHOTT — McGrory provides sustainable fire-rated system solutions with superior sightlines.
against x-ray
• Extensive Radiation Shielding/ Leaded X-Ray Glass Stocked: Largest Available Sizes in the Industry
• Customizations & All Plate Sizes & Thicknesses Cut Specifically to Customer Requirements, Delivered Direct to Job Site
