Fenestration: Resource Site
Experts Weigh In on Current Fenestration Topics
by the Window and Door Manufacturers Association
Builders, architects, and remodelers now have a new trusted resource when designing, specifying, and selecting high-performance windows, doors, and skylights. The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) has launched an initiative called Open Up to Performance™ to offer a wide variety of educational and informative content, including a new website, www.openuptoperformance.com, which contains blog posts, videos, podcasts, and webinars, created and curated by industry experts.
The website is intended to help residential builders and remodelers, as well as residential and commercial architects and specifiers, make informed decisions about their customers’ windows, doors, and skylights. Topics include: current trends and news; innovations in windows, doors, and skylights; pertinent research; ways to achieve sustainability and energy efficiency through windows, doors, and skylights; and performance and standards guides for windows, doors, and skylights.
Additionally, professionals will be able to learn about the WDMA Hallmark Certification Program, an accredited program that rigorously inspects and tests products to ensure that they are code-compliant, high-performing, and high-quality. WDMA sponsors the ANSI-accredited WDMA Hallmark Certification Program, which provides code officials, builders, architects, and consumers with an industry-wide recognized certification process and listing of products that have demonstrated compliance with referenced performance standards. The WDMA Hallmark Certification Program provides certification to air, water, structural, and impact performance standards. An overview and corresponding webinar will provide in-depth insight into the program’s requirements and process. Architects and specifiers will also be able to access information on selecting and specifying architectural doors that meet ANSI/WDMA architectural door standards.
By design, architectural doors are some of the most frequently used and abused building components in today’s construction. Not only do they need to provide design and aesthetic qualities, but they also must be rugged enough to withstand daily wear and tear from closing, opening, and the occasional slamming, so building owners and architects expect them to have durable, high-quality veneers and finishes that last the life of the building.
Ask any architectural wood door manufacturer how they achieve this durability and performance, and most will tell you it’s the result of constructing the door in accordance with either the ANSI/WDMA I.S.1A Industry Specification for Architectural Wood Flush Doors or the ANSI/WDMA I.S.6A Industry Specification for Architectural Wood Stile and Rail Doors. Both of these standards contain all the information necessary to identify the desired performance duty levels, wood-face veneer and finish systems for architectural wood doors, as well as the requirements they must meet accordingly. The standards also provide critical guidance for the storage and handling of the doors at the jobsite. Open Up to Performance is a resource that walks designers through the steps to ensure they choose the most aesthetic and heavy-duty door products available.
The website also hosts several informative webinars to help professionals meet their educational and professional development needs. Free webinars include Understanding and Specifying with WDMA’s Architectural Door Standards; Understanding Window, Door, and Skylight Certification; and A Specifier’s Guide to Door Face Veneers. Architects and specifiers can receive continuing education credits from AIA, DHI, and NARI upon completion of the WDMA’s webinars.
“Our goal is to provide a valuable resource that educates our audience on how to identify high-performance products, as well as the benefits and return on investment of using them,” said Michael O’Brien, WDMA president and chief executive officer. “The site is interactive, engaging, and allows those with any level of knowledge on the world of windows, doors, and skylights to gain a well-rounded understanding of these products.”
WDMA defines the standards of excellence in the residential and commercial window, door, and skylight industry, and advances these standards among its industry members and product manufacturers. With the help of some of the most knowledgeable experts in the space, WDMA drives the development, creation, and implementation of key standards for the window, door, and skylight industry. WDMA is one of the three standard writers of the North American Fenestration Standards (NAFS) and the sole author of the ANSI-approved Architectural Wood Door Standards. The NAFS performance requirements and test methods are referenced in residential and commercial building codes and form the basis for high-performing, relevant product ratings. WDMA’s Architectural Wood Door Standards are used primarily for specifying interior commercial doors.
