“Glass Configurator” now also calculates EPD for each product

The “Glass Configurator” from AGC Glass Europe enables architects and planners to calculate the light and radiation properties of glazing and create attractive configurations according to their requirements.

The comprehensive tool has now been expanded to include the calculation of “Environmental Product Declarations” (EPD), which comprehensively and concisely state the environmental impact of numerous products on the basis of a complete life cycle assessment. “This provides architects and planners with well-founded, verified and therefore comparable information that has a positive impact on the environmental certification of their buildings within the framework of various international programs for environmentally friendly construction, such as DGNB, LEED, BREEAM or WELL,” explains Sebastian Schmidt, CEO of AGC Interpane.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

These are a key tool for assessing the sustainability of building materials and products over their entire life cycle. Now fully integrated into the AGC Group’s “Glass Configurator”, the “EPD Generator” is a user-friendly, easy-to-understand and well-founded solution that provides users with information and comparison options for the life cycle analysis of their individually configured products. While architects and planners were previously able to use the tool to configure their optimum glazing, they can now “generate” the EPD for numerous configurations at the same time. The tool calculates the potential environmental impact of the evaluated configuration and then provides a comprehensive and precise overview of its life cycle assessment. Using more than 30 environmental and raw material indicators, the EPD provides a detailed and meaningful analysis of the entire life cycle. The EPDs produced are based on EN 15804+A2 and EN 17074 and an independent third party review for the EPD Generator will be completed in the coming months.

EPD: Important for the requirements of the CPR

Some of the information contained in the generated EPDs is expected to become a required component of the declaration of performance and conformity in accordance with the new Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and therefore mandatory for every construction product for which CE marking is required. EPDs are already often a prerequisite for obtaining building certifications in accordance with DGNB, LEED, BREEAM and WELL. The regulations of some EU member states also require the use of EPDs when determining the environmental impact of buildings. Sebastian Schmidt confirms: “EPDs are also an important tool for the development of new, sustainable building permits. And they reflect the increasing importance of environmental responsibility in the construction sector, to which we at AGC are committed.”

What else can the AGC Glass Configurator do?

The Glass Configurator can be used to determine the light and radiation properties of mono panes, double and triple insulating glass as well as laminated safety glass, perform acoustic calculations and even create photorealistic visualizations to simulate the aesthetic effect in buildings. Users save glass configurations in projects, including all associated calculations, via personal access. Properties for specific requirements can be defined for the technical values. A drag-and-drop function can be used and content can also be shared. The Glass Configurator also provides recommendations for special requirements for thermal insulation, summer heat protection, etc. and allows reports to be downloaded for the selected glass configurations. Architects and planners use the integrated EPD generator to make informed decisions on the implementation of sustainability goals and receive a basis for creating the “digital product passport”, which is required by the new CPR and is intended to serve as a data basis for the future building passport.

The AGC tool is a free service that is available in a total of nine languages: interested parties can find the direct link to the AGC Glass Configurator, including the EPD generator, at www.agc-yourglass.com/configurator.