MEMBER PROFILE | WINDOWS
Australia’ s rapidly changing technological environment continues to present a wealth of opportunities.“ Energy efficiency now constitutes a major sector of our business,” he says.“ We recently increased our staff to cope with increased demand for energy rating, and aim to expand still further. With the National Construction Code( NCC) moving to increase stringency over the next few years there will also be plenty of opportunities for enterprising window and façade companies.”
The company now focuses on two major areas.“ One is the physical testing of products to AS 2047 standards; the other is energy ratings,” Ian states.“ We’ ve carried out over 10,000 energy ratings to date, becoming a dominant industry player in the process.”
Ian Bennie and Associates has also expanded into ancillary product testing, and is heavily involved in testing the long-term durability of Insulated Glass Units( IGUs) for the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Affiliation( IGMA).“ We also address NCC concerns on many products, including testing safety glass, window restrictors and screens, wire, glass and aluminium balustrades, and lightweight second-storey cladding,” Ian adds.
Given Melbourne’ s current construction boom, highrise buildings still form a major part of the business.“ Many suppliers of apartment fenestration systems have recently submitted their products for testing to ensure compliance,” Ian says.“ Since the changes in the Building Code and AS 2047, all windows, shopfronts and apartments must be tested, as well as domestic and apartment glazing products.
“ As a result, we’ ve recently seen a much stronger insistence on compliance. In a landmark case a few years ago, for example, windows and a door were removed from a building in Western Australia because the inspectors weren’ t supplied with documentation. When they sent them to us for testing, we found several non-compliant products which had to be removed from the project. The growth in residential apartment construction, coupled with increased public awareness, has further increased the demand for testing.”
“ OVER 30 YEARS, OUR SKILL SETS HAVE LED US DOWN MANY INTERESTING PATHS.”
To meet this demand, Ian Bennie and Associates provide clients with comprehensive testing facilities.“ We offer Australia’ s widest range of window and façade testing services, with over 2,000 tests carried out both in the laboratory and on site, some as far afield as Darwin and New Zealand,” Ian says.“ We have three laboratory test rigs for this purpose – a 10 metre outdoor rig, a 6 metre indoor rig for shopfronts, bifold doors and larger products; and a 2.4 metre rig for domestic testing. We also have a number of onsite chambers for quality testing.
The company’ s tireless quest to improve testing under all conditions has led to some novel innovations.“ Over 30 years, our skill sets have led us down many interesting paths,” he reflects.“ We’ ve made a machine to heat and freeze a roof, then simulate someone walking on it. We’ ve also done vandal testing on LCD screens for bus stops. We’ ve even introduced hail testing over the last two years for roof window products and building claddings.”
The company also performs cyclone testing, which Ian enthusiastically describes as‘ a lot of fun’.“ We carry out a small impactor test in which we pepper the windows with 8 mm ball bearings,” he reveals.“ We also do a large impactor test, shooting a piece of 100 by 50 mm hardwood into windows at 160 kph to simulate the effects of flying debris.”
One of the more involved of all the company’ s processes is earthquake testing.“ We conduct earthquake simulations in our three-storey test rig, using computercontrolled hydraulics,” Ian explains.“ Our earthquake tests have been employed across multiple areas, including South East Asia and New Zealand,” Ian points out.“ In 2002, we tested a 10 metre mock-up of the Christchurch Art Gallery façade with earthquake
racking. The façade survived the 2011 earthquake and the building was subsequently used as the Civil Defence headquarters.”
Balustrade and pool fence testing is another rapidly growing area for Ian Bennie and Associates.“ We’ ve done extensive balustrade testing, both laboratory-based and onsite,” Ian notes.“ We test pool fencing systems in the lab, prodding and poking fences, applying loads that children could conceivably exert. In one test, we placed a load on the gate to simulate a child swinging on it, to ensure it shuts safely.”
Ian singles out a current industry trend for consideration.“ I’ ve noticed a rapid increase in litigation against builders and window fabricators,” he reflects.“ I was called on as an expert witness only twice in my first 20 years, compared to 10 to 15 times in the last decade. People now have a reasonable expectation that building windows and façades are going to be safe; builders are becoming more risk-averse; and specifiers strive to ensure their products’ safety. The recent apartment fire concerns have put the spotlight on façades, while significant glass failures have placed public safety at the forefront of builders’ and architects’ minds.”
As builders and consumers becoming increasingly wellinformed about reducing risk, Ian Bennie and Associates will continue to play a central role in strengthening the industry’ s commitment to quality.
02
01 The team at Ian Bennie and Associates:( left to right) James Maskiell, Ian Bennie, Derek Dubout and Mal Dassanayake. 02 Ian Bennie testing insulated glass units in the Weiss C340.
WINDOWS MAGAZINE 31