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PPG introduces GRAYLITE II tinted glass
Tom Smith Sr. has plenty of reason to celebrate this week – 2010 marked 50 years in the glazing industry, while 2011 will be the 40th anniversary for Tom Smith Glass Inc. in Columbus, Ind.
Smith started working at PPG Industries as a drafting detailer in their contract department in Dayton, Ohio, in 1960. From PPG he moved on to Kenny Glass Inc. in Columbus in 1962, and started Tom Smith Glass Inc. in Columbus in 1971.
“Back then most of the contract work was just aluminum doors and full sash and plate glass, with a little bit of curtainwall stuff,” Smith recalls.
“Now most of the glass and glazing is high-end work with the curtainwalls and insulating glass and all the types of glass, heat reflective. None of that was available then. Blue tint and green tint was about all they really had back in the ’60s. Everything was pretty much plate glass and as time moved on it moved into tempered and insulating – so it’s a lot safer now.”
Smith has been semi-retired since September 2005 when his son, Tom Smith Jr., purchased Tom Smith Glass Inc. from him.
When completed in 2013, One World Trade Center will reach 102 stories and 1,776 feet, making it the tallest building in the United States. PPG Industries is one of few glass companies worldwide that can manufacture ultra-clear glass in thicknesses of up to one inch (25 millimeters), as specified by the building designers.
Founded in 1883, the company was the first commercially successful plate glass manufacturer in the United States. Source: PPG Industries, Inc.
“Back then most of the contract work was just aluminum doors and full sash and plate glass, with a little bit of curtainwall stuff,” Smith recalls. The glass was selected specifically by the tower’s design and engineering teams for its thickness and clarity. It will be the signature element in a 185 feet-tall podium glass wall that will incorporate more than 2,000 pieces of prismatic glass and welded aluminum screens.
“Now most of the glass and glazing is high-end work with the curtainwalls and insulating glass and all the types of glass, heat reflective. None of that was available then. Blue tint and green tint was about all they really had back in the ’60s. Everything was pretty much plate glass and as time moved on it moved into tempered and insulating – so it’s a lot safer now.”
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