STRUCTURAL GLASS FACADES - USC School of Architecture

considerations. 4 According to the Freedonia Group, an industry research organization, global
demand for flat glass will rise 5.2 percent annually through 2010. The dominant construction
market will grow the fastest, driven by greater use of value-added glazing products and by
architectural trends favoring more natural lighting.
Pilkington, one of the oldest and four largest global glass producers pegs the flat glass
market for 2006 at 44 million metric tons with a value of approximately USD 23 billion.
Approximately 70 percent of this is used in architectural applications, with the majority of the
balance used in automotive, furniture, and interior applications. Demand over the past two
decades has outstripped GDP. Europe, China and North America account for 75 percent of
global demand. The fastest growth in demand is occurring in developing countries in Asia,
especially China and India. Just four global producers are responsible for 66 percent of the
world’s flat glass output; NSG Group (Pilkington, British), Asahi (Japanese), Saint-Gobain
(French), and Guardian (USA). The industry was running at about 90 percent capacity in
2006, largely influenced by demand from China, a trend expected to continue for some years
to come. Over the long term, the overall market has been growing at about 4 to 5 percent
per year, and similar growth is expected to continue at least through 2010. (Pilkington 2007)
Economic growth is the principle factor driving demand in growth for architectural glass
products. Other factors influencing demand include legislation, regulation, and general
concern over such issues as safety, acoustic and energy performance. These other factors
can both negatively and positively affect demand. Legislative mandates for energy
performance in buildings, for example, can potentially result in the reduced use of glass as it
is replaced by materials and wall systems with better thermal behavior. This is not
4 From comments made by Holl during a lecture at the Engineered Transparency
Conference, November 2007, Columbia University.
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