On 10 July 2026, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published its Airborne Dust Bulletin No. 10. The bulletin reports that North Africa and the Middle East were heavily affected by major dust intrusions in 2025, and identifies the Bodélé Depression in Chad as one of the world's most active dust-source regions. That is a useful project-planning signal, but it is not a specification for every building in Africa.
For a window or door package, the practical response is to make site exposure, document requirements, and maintenance responsibilities visible early. A request for a "dustproof window" is too vague to support a reliable technical or commercial discussion. A defined project brief gives the project team and manufacturer a clearer basis for reviewing the final configuration.
Important: This guide does not set a required performance level or confirm that any product is suitable for a particular site. The applicable requirements, test evidence, installation details, and local approvals must be confirmed by the responsible project professionals for the final building and destination.
Why the WMO Bulletin Matters to Project Teams
The WMO bulletin describes sand and dust storms as hazards that can affect air quality, visibility, transport, energy systems, and other economic activity. It also highlights the value of improved warnings and forecasts. For a project team, the lesson is not to apply one generic product label across a continent. It is to identify the exposure that is relevant to the building, then record the unresolved questions before requesting a quotation.
Dust exposure may differ substantially by location, surrounding land use, orientation, building height, local wind conditions, construction-stage conditions, and how the building will be operated and maintained. A project near a dry open area may need a different discussion from an urban building with different surrounding conditions. The project brief should make those distinctions visible.
Start With a Site Exposure Brief, Not a "Dustproof" Product Request
Before selecting a system or asking a manufacturer for a final quotation, prepare a short site-exposure brief. It should describe what the project team knows and flag what still needs confirmation.
| Site input to record | Why it belongs in the project brief | Who should confirm it |
|---|---|---|
| Exact project location and building use | Prevents the inquiry from treating all locations as having the same exposure | Buyer / project team |
| Site surroundings and known dust sources | Gives context for the project team's exposure assessment | Architect / local project team |
| Building height, elevation, orientation, and façade zones | Helps separate openings that may face different site conditions | Architect / façade consultant |
| Local weather, warning, or environmental information available to the project | Keeps current local information separate from a general news report | Local project team / relevant authority |
| Construction-stage conditions | Identifies temporary contamination and protection questions before handover | Contractor |
| Intended ventilation and building-operation strategy | Makes operating assumptions visible without prescribing a universal opening practice | Building-services / operations team |
| Required local rules, approvals, and documents | Prevents a manufacturer discussion from being mistaken for local compliance confirmation | Buyer / responsible local professional |
Record uncertainty directly. For example, write "local exposure assessment to be confirmed" rather than copying an assumed performance target into every opening type.
Add Dust Questions to the Window and Door Schedule
A standard window and door schedule remains the foundation of an inquiry: references, quantities, dimensions, opening types, glazing, hardware, finish, and destination should still be clear. For a dust-prone site, add a column or attachment that identifies the questions the project team needs to resolve.
| Schedule field | Dust-exposure question to include | Good handover wording |
|---|---|---|
| Opening reference and façade zone | Does this opening have a distinct exposure or operational role? | Exposure zone and project requirement to be confirmed |
| Opening configuration | Are there limits or operating requirements set by the project team? | Opening use and operating assumptions to be confirmed |
| Seals, gaskets, drainage, and interfaces | Which system details require product-specific review for the final configuration? | Manufacturer to provide available configuration evidence for project review |
| Glass, hardware, and accessories | Are there material, cleaning, access, or durability questions in the project brief? | Project team to state required evidence and maintenance constraints |
| Installation interface | Are substrate, tolerances, perimeter details, and sequencing defined? | Installation interface to be coordinated with the final design |
| Documents | Which reports, drawings, method statements, or maintenance information are requested? | Required documents and acceptance route to be confirmed by buyer |
| Operations and maintenance | Who will inspect, clean, and maintain the relevant components after handover? | O&M owner and access approach to be confirmed |
This is more useful than inserting a generic claim into a quotation request. It helps the manufacturer identify which inputs are missing and helps the buyer compare responses on a consistent scope.
Request Evidence for the Final Configuration
For a project with stated performance or document requirements, ask for evidence that matches the final proposed configuration-not a generic brochure statement. The required evidence depends on the project, jurisdiction, configuration, and applicable test or approval route.
Use this question set in the RFQ:
- What exact opening type, dimensions, glazing, hardware, finish, and interface details are being reviewed?
- Which project requirements must be evidenced, and who has defined them?
- Which product-specific documents are available for the proposed configuration, and what do they actually cover?
- Which design, installation, or local-compliance questions remain with the project team or responsible professionals?
- What needs to be resolved before a quotation can be compared or an order can be approved?
Do not treat a test report, a product label, or a previous-project reference as automatic proof for a different size, opening configuration, glass build-up, hardware set, installation detail, location, or approval route. The responsible technical and compliance stakeholders should review applicability before the final decision.
Define Cleaning, Maintenance, and Handover Responsibilities
Dust-related project decisions continue after product selection. The handover pack should identify who owns cleaning access, routine inspection, reporting of damaged components, and the maintenance information required by the building operator.
Discuss these items before the order stage:
- access arrangements for cleaning and inspection;
- cleaning methods and intervals specified by the responsible operation team;
- records for replacement parts, gaskets, hardware, and other components where applicable;
- the route for reporting defects, damage, or changed operating conditions;
- training, manuals, and maintenance information required at handover; and
- the party responsible for confirming the final installation and operating plan.
These are coordination questions, not evidence that any one window or door system will prevent dust ingress or eliminate maintenance. Clear ownership makes it easier to identify what must be included in the final project scope.
Pre-RFQ Checklist for a Dust-Prone Site
Before sending a window or door inquiry, check that you can provide or clearly mark the following:
- latest drawing revision and a window/door schedule;
- quantities, dimensions, opening types, glazing, hardware, finish, and accessories;
- project location, building use, façade zones, and known site-exposure information;
- the project's stated performance, documentation, approval, and maintenance questions;
- installation interfaces and unresolved design decisions;
- destination, commercial timing, and the buyer's required document route; and
- the names of the technical, local-compliance, and operations contacts responsible for confirmation.
If an item is not yet decided, label it as open. A transparent gap is safer than an unsupported requirement that later becomes part of a price comparison.
FAQ
Q: Does the WMO bulletin mean every African window or door project needs the same specification?
A: No. The bulletin is regional news context about dust hazards and monitoring. A final window or door specification must be based on the individual site, building design, applicable requirements, final configuration, and the evidence reviewed by the responsible project stakeholders.
Q: Can I ask for a "dustproof" window or door in an RFQ?
A: You can describe the site's dust-exposure concern, but the phrase alone is not a usable technical requirement. Send the project information, state the required evidence or approval route if one exists, and ask the responsible team to confirm the applicable performance and configuration questions.
Q: What should a manufacturer receive before reviewing a dust-prone project inquiry?
A: Send drawings or a schedule, quantities, dimensions, opening types, glazing, hardware, finish, location, exposure inputs, required documents, installation questions, destination, and target timing. Mark the items that remain subject to local project or technical confirmation.
Send a Complete Project Brief for Preliminary Review
Send your available drawings or window/door schedule together with the confirmed site-exposure inputs, required documents, and unresolved questions. The SGL team can review the inquiry scope and identify the next technical and commercial questions for the project discussion.
