YKK AP America has become the first commercial building products manufacturer to launch an iPad app. The free app, Architectural Product Master, is an addition to the company’s eco-friendly approach to product collateral that includes an online design manual to aid users in the selection and installation of fenestration products.

The iPad app also gives building professionals easy access to high-end product images, details, installation checklists, green building resources, and introduces an innovative thermal performance calculator, myThermal Assistant.

myThermal Assistant enables building professionals to calculate the energy-saving performance metrics of YKK AP products with project-specific glass packages. If a builder or architect is unsure of which product and glass package to specify in order to meet the thermal performance needs of the building envelope, he or she can simply enter the desired energy performance criteria and the program will recommend the YKK AP framing system and glass package to specify in order to meet that requirement.

“The Architectural Product Master app is a major step forward for YKK AP, and for the building industry as a whole,” says Michael Turner, vice president of marketing at YKK AP America. “Not only does this app serve as an eco-friendly go-to resource for green building professionals, it also represents another innovative step forward in YKK AP’s longstanding efforts to be a leader in offering the market unique technologies to complement our product offering, and to streamline the product selection process.”

Tools to assist with the installation of YKK AP products in the field, including at-a-glance checklists, are also featured within the app. Contractors can use the app to walk the jobsite and confirm that YKK AP’s recommended installation steps are being followed. The app also features the top 10 green building resources on the web for commercial construction, as well as YKK AP product data sheets and photos, installation instructions and videos, and a design manual, outlining all aspects of YKK AP’s glazing systems.

The iPad app will be showcased at Greenbuild 2010 in Chicago, which runs from 17 – 19 November.