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Follow on Google News | Remembering Hurricane Andrew: How the Building Industry Has Changed Since 1992After Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida 20 Years Ago, the Building Industry, like the community, needed an extreme makeover. A select few individuals stepped forward and led the Building Industry towards a future with stronger and safer buildings.
“I remember bringing relief supplies to a woman whose entire house near Homestead was blown away during Hurricane Andrew. There was just an empty concrete slab where her home stood just two days before,” said Architect David Harper. “I vowed that we could build better and that we had to do better in both design and construction.” As clean-up continued in the aftermath of the hurricane, the Board of County Commissioners appointed Harper to Chair the South Florida Building Code committee. While creating and implementing the post-Andrew massive overhaul of the building code, Harper led local officials, up to the state level, to adopt the first American debris Impact Criteria for Buildings. This hurricane missile impact testing changed building construction practices in South Florida, and resulted in building regulation changes in states across the U.S. The building industry was also affected by the creation of a Code Section on Emergency Procedures and Safe Rooms, and adoption of a Wind Standard, efforts also led by Harper. “For the County, Mr. Harper has been the single most important voice in reforming the way homes are built,” said former Mayor Xavier L. Suarez, “and thus hopefully averting future tragedies like the ones experienced when Hurricane Andrew hit South Dade.” While Harper pushed for building code reform, those in the Building, Manufacturing and Engineering industry saw that no one in the area had products that would meet the new code. Companies like CGI Windows saw a void in the market. They stopped bringing in outside materials and designed a new product line specifically to meet and exceed the new Building Code: the impact resistant window. “Before Hurricane Andrew, people covered their windows and doors with plywood or metal panels,” said Oscar Cordova Sr. of CGI Windows. “We set the benchmark by becoming one of the first manufacturers in the country to offer hurricane windows and doors with laminated glass, to meet the Miami-Dade County impact standards.” Since then, CGI has expanded their products to include aluminum impact entry doors, and insulated glass with lo-E coating for both security and energy efficiency. This week, as Harper reflects back on Hurricane Andrew, he looks forward to visiting the nation’s first university research facility capable of simulating hurricane winds up to 157 miles per hour: the Wall of Wind at Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center. “During those first 12 months after Andrew, I pushed hard to develop and gain momentum and approval for the concept of a Wind Research and Testing facility in Miami,” said Harper. “Even with the adoption of the debris impact standard, I knew it was crucial to continue testing to further strengthen our homes and businesses from damage caused by hurricane-force winds, debris, and water intrusion. The Wall of Wind facility at FIU is doing just that.” FIU Director of Wind Engineering Research Arindam Chowdhury and a team of researchers are continuing to research better methods and materials to retrofit existing homes in hurricane zones; those built before Hurricane Andrew. “Our Wall of Wind demonstration exposes two structures to Andrew-like rain and wind; one built to pre-Hurricane Andrew code, and one built under the current building code,” said Chowdhury. “The difference in damage level is clear, especially at the connections between the building envelope and the roof. But,” he said, “We can do better.” Researchers working with the Wall of Wind facility have been perfecting a fiberglass product that is adhered with epoxy to connect walls to a roofing system. According to Chowdhury, the product is just as strong as the metal straps and hardware currently used, without having the issue of splitting or weakening the wood trusses. This Friday, on the 20th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s landfall on Miami-Dade County, government officials, survivors and researchers will remember the devastation caused to businesses and homes, and the people like Harper, Cordova, and Chowdhury, who stepped forward to lead the community and the Building Industry towards a future with stronger and safer buildings. For more information, call 305.476.1102 or email jstewart@hadpmail.com. ABOUT THE ARCHITECT: David M. Harper, FAIA, is an award-winning architect who served as Chairman of the South Florida Building Code Committee in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. He is President and CEO of HADP Architecture, Inc., with offices in Miami, Atlanta, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Harper’ For more information on David Harper and his firm, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/ http://www.hadparchitecture.com FAST FACTS ON HURRICANE ANDREW*: $26.5 billion in total losses 15 direct deaths in Dade County, 65 total 700,000 people evacuated… 1.4 million homes left without electricity… 150,000 left without telephone service 1,167 mobile homes destroyed 17-ft storm surge 70,000 acres of the trees toppled $1.04 billion in agricultural loss due to wind damage Homestead Air Force Base almost completely destroyed *Data pulled from www.nhc.noaa.gov/ http://www.hurricanescience.org/ http://news.google.com/ http://www.weather.com/ End
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