Fenestration Testing Laboratory

• The term Fenestration testing laboratory (when used with an architectural meaning and/or in regards to a building envelope) refers to either an individual facility or the collective group of independent testing laboratories that have been inspected and accredited by nationally & internationally recognized governing bodies to perform fenestration test standards. See accreditations below.
• The word Fenestration itself is a derivative of the Latin word Fenestra, which means window. Through the passing years and with increased use by industry professionals, the word Fenestration has come to be used and accepted by architects, builders, and engineers as a technical term referring to windows, doors, and other types of openings in a building or wall envelope.

Origination of the Term

• The term Fenestration Testing Laboratory can be traced back to the company by the same name, which was founded in the State of California by Pete Cruz, a Mechanical Technology graduate from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. It was Cruz's aim and focus of Fenestration Testing Laboratory (also known as FTL or FTL Testing) to provide quality testing and consulting services that were focused solely on the fenestration industry. The company chose to specialize in the field of fenestration products and components, as well as the surrounding & interconnected architectural systems that composed a building's exterior envelope.
• The term Fenestration Testing Laboratory soon grew to widespread acceptance as other testing laboratories that conducted similar performance test standards on window and door products also began to call themselves fenestration testing laboratories; meaning they had the capability to perform test standards on fenestration products. In present day it is not uncommon to hear a testing laboratory that tests window and door products call themselves a fenestration testing laboratory.

Historical significance

The history AbOUT the company named Fenestration Testing Laboratory is that it was the first enterprise to pioneer and push for widespread use of the word fenestration as it related to windows, doors, and wall systems in the building industry. Fenestration Testing Laboratory incorporated in the State of California in 1988, one year prior to the more popularly known National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) which was established in 1989 and has had maximum exposure through affiliations with the U.S. government's Energy Star program. It was in the subsequent years thereafter that the word fenestration then began to gain more exposure. The word fenestration itself is now widely accepted and used by many industry professionals across the globe, but it is of historical value to note that it was Fenestration Testing Laboratory (the company) that championed the term for general acceptance and recognition. Without the company's early efforts it remains unknown as to how the word may have evolved.

Testing

• Fenestration Testing Laboratories conduct tests according to many nationally recognized test standards developed by:AAMA, ASTM, NFRC, and WDMA
• Performance Testing Includes: Operating Force, Air Infiltration, Water Penetration, Structural Wind Loads, Thermal Simulations, and Forced Entry Resistance
• Title 24, Section 116 (Air Leakage Testing)
• ASTM E783 Field measurement of air leakage through installed exterior windows and doors.
• ASTM E1105: Field determination of water penetration of installed exterior windows and doors.
• AAMA 501.2 Quality assurance and diagnostic water leakage field check of installed storefronts, curtain walls, and sloped glazing systems.

Accreditations

• Fenestration Testing Laboratories are normally recognized ISO 17025 testing labs, but it's important to check the current status of each independent lab. Accreditations can be verified by researching at any one of the following governing bodies websites where such information is made available to the public:The American Architectural Manufacturers Association(AAMA),The International Accreditation Service(IAS), and The Window and Door Manufacturers Association(WDMA).

Definitions

• Fenestration Testing Laboratory (1.): Refers to any one of the 30+ nationally accredited testing laboratories in the United States that have a specialty, or at least a test division, that performs fenestration related test standards. A complete list of all accredited laboratories can be found by referencing the governing organization links listed under the heading "Accreditations" above.
• Fenestration Testing Laboratory (2.): Fenestration Testing Laboratory, the company, founded in the State of CA in 1988. Made history by being the first company to pioneer the word fenestration in a business name and champion the word for widespread use, recognition, and acceptance by the building industry.

References

• The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA)
• ASTM International (ASTM)
• National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC)
• The International Accreditation Service (IAS)
• The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA)

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