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For our research purposes, the Pacific Southwest (PSW) region includes Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, California, and Hawaii. The geographic diversity of the region is extreme: For example, California’s Death Valley is the lowest (and driest and hottest) location in the U.S. – while Colorado is the only state to lie entirely above 3,281 feet in elevation.
California stands out in the region for setting the benchmark for sustainable design initiatives nationwide, including standards for energy, schools, and indoor air quality. In fact, meeting or exceeding California standards has become the goal for many building product manufacturers.
Controlling solar heat gain and glare – while preserving views and natural daylight – is one of the sustainable issues of particular concern to building occupants in this sunny region. The data presented here on louvers, blinds, and shades show some interesting regional trends: Louvers are least popular in the PSW compared to other regions; education is the top project type for blinds and shades; and louvers (when specified) are most popular in dorms.
To gather this data, McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC) gathers plans and specifications for approximately 60,000 projects annually through various public and private sources. The specifications are indexed into a database from which MHC’s Research and Analytics team can extract and identify selected products, brands, and manufacturers, and then calculate spec rates across geographies and project types, over time, and by firm. For more info, contact MHC’s Analytics Group at 800/591-4462.
