FROM THE EXECUTIVES
Tracey
Gramlick
AWA
Executive
Director
W
elcome to the summer edition
of Windows. In October, I was
invited to participate in the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Policy Workshop for Energy Efficient Building
in Bangkok and deliver a presesntation on
the current Australian position. Hosted by
King Mongkut’s University of Technology
Thonburi (KMUTT), it was sponsored by
APEC under cooperation between
APEC, US-Department of Energy and
Thai-Department of Alternative Energy
Development and Efficiency (DEDE).
The workshop provided an opportunity
for a range of public, private and
academic sector stakeholders (involved
in developing an advanced building
material infrastructure in the APEC region)
to exchange their views and experiences
Garry
Thomson
AWA
Chairman
2
013 is rapidly drawing to a close and
has certainly turned out to be more
of a year of challenges, rather than
opportunities, for the window industry and
the broader building and construction
sector - exacerbated by an extended federal
election campaign and a sluggish market.
However, the annual Fenestration Australia
conference in Canberra was a roaring
success with feedback indicating that
the line-up of speakers and the social
events were some of the best offered
yet. I know you will enjoy downloading
the presentations and searching to find
yourselves amongst the photos.
During the conference, Tracey Gramlick
delivered the outcomes of our most recent
AWA strategy direction review. In 2008, the
AWA prepared a strategic plan designed
to support the Australian window industry
in meeting the challenges it faced over
2 Australian Window Association Summer 2013
on energy efficient building envelopes and
the range of window thermal performance
testing, rating and labelling programs of
their respective countries.
It facilitated the sharing of experiences and
recommendations for the establishment of
necessary infrastructure to underpin the
testing and certification programs of building
envelope materials. This effort aims to enable
improved building energy efficiency policies
and programs among APEC communities,
reduce trade barriers and directly support
Energy Smart Communities.
The workshop was able to gather
representatives from almost every APEC
member economies - including Australia,
China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico,
New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Russia,
Singapore, Thailand, USA and Vietnam.
Proceedings opened with a keynote
presentation on low carbon initiatives in
the building sectors by a United Nations
Development Programme ( U9@