Hurricane Wilma aftermath: performance of laminated glass in buildings

Valerie L. Block, LEED® Accredited Professional, Senior Marketing Specialist, DuPont™ Building Innovations

Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida in October 2005, and caused widespread damage, including well-publicized glass breakage in high-rise buildings in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach and in high-rise condominiums in North Miami Beach. Several buildings in Miami had in excess of 1,000 pieces of broken glass. Storm investigations by various agencies confirmed that all of the high rise buildings that suffered glass damage were built under codes with lesser hurricane protection standards for high rise buildings than those currently in effect. Post-hurricane survey of buildings in South Florida found that impact resistant laminated glass performed well and remained intact, protecting building occupants and the contents of buildings from storm-related damage.

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The Authors

Mrs. Valerie Block Senior Marketing Specialist DuPont Valerie Block has technical and marketing responsibilities for DuPont’s SentryGlas(r) Plus structural interlayer products. She represents DuPont at standards-setting organizations in the U.S. and serv... Read more