Date: 22 June 2006
The high ratio between lecturers and attendants bears witness to the active contribution that conference participants want to put in to advance the future of their business.At the same time they display the value that participants attach to their conference.
- This activity, when a quarter of those who participate also put in their presentations, has made the GPD the leading interactive forum and only one of its kind. Participants gain a host of information that might otherwise take years to amass and at the same time they also send their own signals to influence the thinking of professional colleagues, says Jorma Vitkala , Chairman of the GPD Organizing Committee. Glass processing specialists with practical views on the use of glass and the handling of advanced products are in great demand this time. The GPD 2007 edition will pay special attention to what new glass products and state-of-the-art coatings can provide for the advancement of the Kyoto agreement on sustainable development. There are many things that state-of-the-art glass products and structures can offer to facade designers and building architects for the purpose of reaching energy saving objectives.
- Glass industry must take on the responsibility of ensuring that the newest development of products and methods is made available to designers and architects. It is also vital that the same information reaches glass processors to enable them to produce, handle and offer the resulting fruits of the highest technology and quality to their customers. Architectural solutions are faced with the challenge that buildings consume almost half of the world energy consumption today, the other half being allocated to traffic and industry, Vitkala remarks.
Case studies very popular
The special emphasis of GPD 2007 on practical case studies is based on experience.
- Last year we found that attendance at the case study sessions was very high and interest considerable. This is a clear indication of the importance of information-sharing when it comes to new methods and technologies, Vitkala says. This has worked to the benefit of attendees as well as lecturers. Presentations are widely published and contribute to the interest for applying new findings to old problems. The traditional cross-over effect of the GPD, where glass producers, researchers and processors can network with architects, designers and builders promises to be as useful as ever before thanks especially to the shares concern over building economy in construction as well as operation. The choice of materials and construction principles has a decisive impact on life-cycle cost of operating the building, Vitkala remarks. The GPD is the place to find out how to make the most of the technology available today and in the immediate future.
Add new comment