Impact-resistant laminated glass windows in high-rise buildings throughout South Florida performed very well during Hurricane Wilma, and the window failures that received widespread media attention were in buildings with tempered glass, according to a report by Miami-Dade Product Control and the Palm Beach Building Department.

The report was presented to the Florida Building Commission’s Hurricane Research Advisory Committee and the Florida Building Commission. According to the report, there were no reported failures of impact-resistant laminated windows in any of the areas impacted by the hurricane. Damage to residential impact-resistant laminated windows was reported as minimal to non-existent. The presentations included dates buildings were constructed, samples of the glass that failed and topographical and aerial views. Based on the findings, no action was taken regarding Florida Building Codes.

“The high-rise window failures received much media attention due to the extent of the damage and the prestige of some of the buildings that suffered damage,” said Dave Olmstead, PGT public affairs and code compliance specialist. Olmstead also serves on the Florida Building Commission’s Hurricane Research Advisory Committee and Florida Building Commission Product Approval Workgroup.

“It’s important for businesses and consumers to know that impact-resistant laminated windows did their job and protected the openings so the public can make informed decisions about hurricane protection,” said Olmstead. “Unfortunately, there was a great deal of misinformation and speculation in the media. A lot of people thought impact-resistant laminated windows failed, when the truth is that tempered glass failed.”

CLEARLAR WINS 2006 INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The 2006 International Achievement Awards competition results are in, and the Clearlar®
fabric-based hurricane protection system by Clear View Products, Inc., Jacksonville, FL, received an Award of Excellence in the safety and protective or medical products category. The awards were presented at the Industrial Fabrics Association International show in Atlanta, GA, in November.

For nearly 60 years, the International Achievement Awards recognized design and technology innovation and excellence in the specialty fabrics industry. The projects created by the industry continue to grow in scope as applications for specialty fabrics advance. This year, professionals from 13 countries entered 348 projects in 13 categories.
For the complete results, visit www.ifai.com.

HIGH WIND FRAMING CONNECTION GUIDE HELPS IN REBUILDING EFFORTS

Simpson Strong-Tie has introduced “High Wind Framing Connection Guide” as a companion guide to the AF&PA Wood Frame Construction Manual to help builders and building officials with rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast region.

The guide offers detailed solutions for meeting uplift and lateral load requirements in areas with wind speeds of 100 to 140 mph. Newly adopted building codes in Louisiana and Mississippi now require structures to be designed with a system of connections that provide a continuous load path. This path must be capable of transferring high wind forces through the framing members to the foundation.

The high wind framing guide is being distributed to builders, contractors and code officials throughout the Gulf Coast. It also is available online at www.strongtie.com/hw.

PROENZA SUCCEEDS MAYFIELD AT NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER

Xavier William Proenza, the long-time director of the NOAA National Weather Service Southern Region, has been named to replace Max Mayfield as the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center and two other divisions of the NOAA Tropical Prediction Center in Miami, FL.

Proenza will become the director upon Mayfield’s retirement on January 3 after 34 years of federal service at the hurricane center (see HP, Winter 2003, page 10).

“Although [Proenza] has big shoes to fill as America’s calm and trusted voice in the eye of the storm, his experience and his ties to the emergency management community will be a national asset in preparing our coastlines from tropical weather threats,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez.

“[Proenza] directs warning and forecast services for the most active severe weather region in the United States, the Southern Region, where nearly 90 percent of our nation’s hurricanes make landfall. He has made hurricane preparation and the local forecasting of flooding, tornadoes and high winds by our network of weather forecast offices his top priority,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.

Proenza started his career with the NOAA National Weather Service at its National Hurricane Center and with NOAA's hurricane hunters in the mid ’60s and went on to serve in a number of field, headquarters and leadership capacities across the nation. He has been director of the NOAA National Weather Service Southern Region since 1998. The Florida State University graduate is a long-standing member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association, and has held appointments in both professional agencies. In 2001, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) recognized him with its prestigious Francis W. Reichelderfer Award for outstanding environmental services to the nation. In 2003, Proenza was elected as an AMS Fellow.

FLORIDA HOME BUILDERS INDUCT TWO INTO HALL OF FAME

The Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) has inducted Betsy Godfrey, president, Godfrey Design Consultants, Inc., Orlando, and Howard Head, founder, Bonded Builders Home Warranty, Port Charlotte, into the Florida Housing Hall of Fame for their significant and lasting contributions to the home building industry. Godfrey and Head became the 48th and 49th members of the Florida Housing Hall of Fame.

Godfrey is a widely honored interior merchandiser and a founder of the prestigious Aurora Awards. Her career in the home building industry spans 30 years. She was the first woman to hold a residential contractor license in central Florida, the first woman to earn the National Association of Home Builders Life Spike status as a membership recruiter, and the first woman to be elected to the executive board of the HBA of Metro Orlando.

Head has distinguished himself in two careers as the executive vice president of the Florida Atlantic Builders Association (which subsequently merged to become the Gold Coast BA) and as the president and founder of Bonded Builders Home Warranty Association, the largest third-party warranty program in Florida. Under Head’s leadership, Bonded not only provided an excellent warranty product but its associates became leaders and good-will ambassadors within Florida’s home building industry.

FHBA also announced its 2006 Builder of the Year: Bill Slavich, president, Empire Builders, one of Naples’ premier builders constructing luxury homes and condominiums. He served as president of Collier Building Industry Association in 1997 and president of the FHBA in 2003.

Al Wahbey, a Naples remodelor, A.K. Construction, Inc., was named Florida’s 2006 Remodelor of the Year. Wahbey holds three significant certifications: Certified Graduate Remodelor (CGR), Graduate Master Builder (GMB), and a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).

FIRST ILLINOIS FORTIFIED HOME CONSTRUCTED

An open house celebration was held November 2 for the first Fortified . . . for safer living® home in Illinois. Constructed in Bolingbrook by Dukane Precast, the home features added protection against tornadoes, hail and severe winter weather—three of the state’s most destructive natural elements.

Fortified . . .for safer living is a new-home construction designation program of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a national non-profit organization established and supported by insurance company members. Through the use of “Fortified” techniques and construction materials builders increase a home’s overall disaster-resistance well beyond the minimum building code requirement. Building upgrades are chosen by the homebuyers and builders based on the kinds of extreme weather events most likely in their region.

IFAI EXPO SETS RECORDS

The largest gathering ever held in the Americas for the specialty fabrics industry took place with the IFAI Expo 2006 organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International in Atlanta, GA, October 3 to November 2.

More than 8,300 participants from 81 countries swarmed the aisles at the Georgia World Congress Center to see 441 exhibitors showcasing material, equipment and services. Complementing the comprehensive trade show were eight market-specific educational symposiums, which featured more than 100 presentations from industry experts.

The exhibitors featured a diversity of products that make up the specialty fabrics industry. The specialty fabrics industry today holds a prominent role in the global marketplace and is one of the most active areas around for innovative new applications in hundreds of product categories.

IFAI 2007 will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, October 3 to 5, 2007.