The Future of Glazing in the Spotlight at BEC Conference 2025

The event schedule features 3 keynotes and educational sessions covering tariffs, second-chance hiring, and trends shaping glazing. Plus, Nicole Harris, NGA's president and CEO, received the inaugural NGA Business Leadership in the Glass and Glazing Industry Award, in recognition of her dedication to the association and the industry for 35 years.   

See below for live coverage throughout the event.

Educational Sessions

In a presentation titled “Trends That Are Changing the Flat Glass Industry,” Suresh Devisetti and Alan Kinder from Guardian Glass North America discussed the accelerating changes in the North American architectural glass market. 

Key message: Companies need to stay ahead of trends, embrace innovation, and continuously improve to avoid being left behind in a rapidly evolving market.

The presentation identified three transformative trends driving change in the industry: advanced glazing performance, digital transformation and supply-chain adaptation. Advanced glazing performance focuses on improving thermal and solar performance while addressing sustainability through lower-embodied carbon and bird-friendly glass. The demand for laminated glass is also rising due to its safety, aesthetic and structural benefits. 

“Glazing laminated glass is the answer,” says Devisetti. “We’re seeing a rising demand for laminated glass in the industry, mainly driven by three things. One is more safety regulations, the second is a lot of concern about security and the climate, and the third is a significant advancements in the laminating technology.” 

Addressing lower-embodied carbon, Kinder says, “Daylighting, U-value and heat gain coefficient are all based on the operational carbon, the cost to run that building in the built environment for the life cycle of that building. It’s a growing trend; AIA, mechanical engineers and structural engineers have all made commitments to have lower embodied carbon content within the design, the selection of their materials and the construction process to create those buildings. 

By 2030, 2040, 2050 we’re going to see changes in what those requirements are going to entail and this is across the board, across the nation, from architects that big and small and projects of all scope and size. If you’re dealing in the commercial construction world, you will see requests for embodied carbon and materials that you’ll be installing.” 

Digital transformation is reshaping business processes, enhancing customer engagement and leveraging technologies like AI for better decision-making. The presentation also emphasized the need for efficient supply chains and adaptability in responding to global market dynamics.