Like its sibling the iPhone, the iPad has created a stir in the marketplace.
Like its sibling the iPhone, the iPad has created a stir in the marketplace. And one architectural building product manufacturer sees it as the perfect vehicle to assist architects and at the same time showcase its products.
YKK AP America, based in Austell, Georgia, launched Architectural Product Master for the iPad at Greenbuild 2010 in Chicago last month.
A free download from www.ykkap.com, it quickly calculates the thermal values of any combination of building façade products within YKK AP’s offering.
“Traditionally in commercial design, unlike residential, you combine frames and glazing or other architectural products instead of buying them as a unit,” says Michael Turner, vice-president of YKK AP. “Then to calculate the thermal values you’d have to email each manufacturer or look up the performance. It’s challenging and daunting.”
He says the company started noticing iPads popping up at meetings with clients, especially among architectural firms.
“They use them for e-mail and all kinds of things,” he says noting the tactile nature of the tablet device makes it especially attractive to designers.
That in turn sparked an idea to create an application for the device that could reference the YKK AP catalogue and automatically calculate the thermal performance features which are so critical in LEED building design these days.
The app also has a built-in design manual which will let architects specify a performance level and have the program recommend choices. It also links to high-resolution images, installation checklists, green resources as well as the key feature, a thermal performance calculator, myThermal Assistant.
myThermal Assistant will figure out the energy performance metrics of YKK AP products with project-specific glass packages using the AAMA 507 standard based on NFRC methods.
Turner says the company’s products are sold mainly in the U.S., although it has a relationship with Erie Architectural Products in Blenheim, Ont. It is looking at establishing a more national footprint in Canada but he adds there are many Canadian architects working on U.S. projects who would benefit from using the application and already are.
The application has also proven to be a powerful sales tool to present in front of clients, he says, and has the added bonus of letting construction managers tour sites and use it to check installation procedures are being properly followed. There are also links to the top 10 green building resources on the web for commercial construction, videos and photos around installation procedures.
“So far the reaction has been great,” says Turner. YKK AP is already planning improvements to the application and looking at other applications for the iPad.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed