Windows

The “Windows Work”

John was gifted with a rare blend of skills—design, technical insight, writing and information design, and most important, the ability to inspire and collaborate with others. Beginning in the late 1990’s, his talents helped to propel the North American fenestration industry towards energy performance improvements that continue to grow today.

The “Windows Work” is a classic example of John’s inventiveness and his belief, perhaps inspired by Buckmistner Fuller that — “When you see a need, don’t wait for someone else to solve it.”

Through his Windows Work, John achieved more impact on the built environment and energy conservation than almost any other University-based academic in the country.

Transforming the American Windows Industry

John had an extraordinary ability to translate technical knowledge into educational materials for designers, fenestration industry participants, and homeowners. His technical and market understanding helped to transform the windows industry.

Along with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), John lobbied and worked with the country’s largest windows manufacturers—such as Andersen Corporation, Marvin Windows and Doors, and Cardinal Glass Industries—to adopt higher performance standards. His pragmatic market approach empowered these companies to lead change across the entire fenestration industry.

John had the amazing gift of being able to communicate a solution to a problem—from designing graphics for a publication to dealing with persons with conflicting points of view. All of us who worked for him have become better communicators, designers, and researchers.
~Kerry Harp (Haglund), former CSBR Senior Research Fellow

In 1997, John helped to establish the Efficient Windows Collaborative (EWC)—a diverse alliance made up of the U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of Minnesota’s Center for Sustainable Building Research, Alliance to Save Energy, and the fenestration industry. The EWC’s goal to double the market penetration of high-performance windows was successfully achieved prior to 2010.

The Windows Work is Launched

In 1994, at a meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida, Sam Taylor of the U.S. Department of Energy committed to give John funding to complete the first edition of the Residential Windows book. As a result, the "Windows Work" was launched.

First published in 1996, John’s Residential Windows book built John’s reputation as a leader and expert in the fenestration industry and marketplace. John's technical writing and ability to clearly convey technical content for broad audiences became key to the success of all of his published works.

John became the core of the windows team and eventually took over the windows work and helped to develop other parts of DOE’s efficiency programs.
~Sam Taylor, US Department of Energy Building Technologies Office (retired)

Digital Information Design and Applied Research

John Carmody always made the most of the changing media of his time. His graphic design for print set a precedent for applied knowledge-sharing across changing media. At the millennium, John transitioned to increasingly sophisticated information design for the Internet—sharing applied research through websites linking guidelines, performance levels, detail drawings, and products for direct application in building projects.

John had an eye for extracting and simplifying graphical content that might have originated in a research paper.
~Stephen Selkowitz, Group Leader, Windows and Envelope Materials, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (retired)

A Pragmatic and Unique Blend of Gifts

John’s deep understanding of the architectural process, how industry manufactures new products, and new technologies in energy and performance all shaped his big-picture goals in efficiency and sustainability. John was a master in translating scientific research and new technologies into real-world applications in the building industry. His long-term partnerships with both the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy led to energy-efficient fenestration products in the marketplace and provided quality education and decision-making tools.

Click on images to download the PDF files of the exhibit

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