Pub. 2 2021-2022 Issue 1

27 (A wind test only considers sustained winds. It doesn’t consider unpredictable events such as strong wind gusts, tornadoes, or debris that becomes a projectile because of the wind.) Products are given a PG rating if they comply with all four mandatory performance requirements. Windows or doors with higher numbers can withstand more than windows with lower numbers. But since manufacturers for tests, they are selective about which windows they submit for testing. After a window or door has been installed, the wind force is the main source of structural loading on it. Wind pressure is directly proportional to the square of the wind velocity. Architects can calculate the design pressure for buildings to define the expected wind pressure on a building and the weight load capacity for individual building components that reinforce the building. The process involves considering the following variables when they determine which windows and doors meet the requirements: • The expected wind at a specified location • A building’s exposure type • The building type • The average height of the roof measured from eave to peak • The wall and roof zones Tell us about your background. How did you become a window expert? I started in California in 1995, working with Simonton Windows. After working for many years as the western region sales manager, I desired to move back home to Salt Lake City and, in 2004, joined AMSCO Windows. AMSCO has dealers in most of the western states, Kansas and Oklahoma, and has done some large projects all over the United States. I’ve had the opportunity to travel a great deal and meet many of our dealers. I have enjoyed teaching them and helping them with service issues, and developing relationships with builders. What is the most interesting or surprising fact you’ve learned because of your work at AMSCO Windows? Once I no longer had responsibility for specific dealers and began to work as an architectural rep, a whole new world opened up to me. I had to learn new words, codes, the concerns of architects and how to help them or be a resource for them. The class I teach, “Specifying Windows, Doors, and Skylights using Performance Standards,” has taught me the criteria one must master to build a structurally sound building as far as windows are concerned. What advice would you give architects about choosing windows? That’s what the one-hour class is all about. Why is it important to choose windows based on design criteria? Doesn’t it make sense to prevent potential liability issues by installing windows with the highest ratings available? Choosing windows with the highest possible ratings could be three times more expensive than choosing the window based on design criteria. Also, contractors may be reluctant to work on a project when they know they won’t make a profit because the windows’ cost takes too much of the project’s budget. A better approach is to take the time to select the right window for the project. The window will function appropriately but cost less than one with a higher rating, which means contractors will be more willing to take on your project. What if two windows have the same PG rating? It means they performed the same during testing. Are AMSCO’s windows built per NAFS-17? Yes. We follow the standard.  — continued on page 28 I think that basic humanity is the same in most walks of life. One lady came up to me after a class. She asked me how the group could be in the business as long as they had been and not understand what I’d been teaching them at all. I realized then that longevity doesn’t make anyone an expert, no matter which industry they are in. It just means someone may have been doing something wrong for a long time.