The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance discussed future association activities in vacuum glazing during the Emerging Technology & Innovation Committee meeting at the organization's Annual General Meeting in Tempe, Ariz., Jan. 31 to Feb. 4.

PPG Industries will expand production at its Fresno, Calif., plant to accommodate the manufacture of Solarphire PV glass, an ultra-low-iron glass used to make components for the solar power industry.

UPDATE: The Quad City BusinessJournal has since reported that about 500 tons of molten glass were spilled Monday afternoon at Guardian Industries' glass manufacturing plant in DeWitt, Iowa. The glass leak happened during routine maintenance, and six fire departments spent about five hours pouring cold water on the spill.

The use of reflective glass curtain walls will be banned in Shanghai apartment, hospital, school, kindergarten and nursing home structures that have two stories or more, effective Feb. 1, according to a Jan. 31 CRIEnglish.com article. 

According to the article, Shanghai currently has 4,210 buildings using glass curtain walls, of which 475 have reported safety problems.

Remodeling sentiment rose to the highest level in five years, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ Remodeling Market Index for the fourth quarter of 2011.