Advanced Interlayer Solutions Division Projekte Gulfstream Condominium
ADVANCED INTERLAYER SOLUTIONS
The Gulfstream Condominiums on North Padre Island, near Corpus Christi, Texas USA faced the full wrath of Hurricane Harvey on August 25th, 2017. But, even after being subjected to sustained wind speeds of up to 97 mph (156 km/h), the complex was back in business just four days after the storm.
The condominium’s resilience in the face of such a severe storm was not only down to the strength of its impressive 47-year old structure, but also a decision made five years ago — during an extensive refurbishment — to install high performance stormresistant glazing that incorporated 90 mil (2.28 mm) SentryGlas® Ionoplast interlayers from Trosifol™.
Originally developed for the high-building-envelope protection required for hurricane glazing in the United States, SentryGlas® did exactly what it was designed to do at the Gulfstream Condominiums – prevent glass breakage and the subsequent ingress of water and wind-borne debris that accompanies storms of this magnitude. To put this in context, the storm dumped a year’s-worth of rain in less than a week on Houston and much of South Eastern Texas.
According to a member of the management team at the complex: “This is a 47 year old building and all the windows were replaced as the result of a mandate from the board of owners. It was determined that hurricaneresistant glazing should be used due to our proximity to the beach and the potential impact of strong winds and storm events. We did have some damage to our roof and some of the fences and pergolas, but there was no structural damage and once the water, gas and electricity had been restored we were able to open up the complex just four days after Harvey. The damage along the coast was extensive, with some complexes experiencing massive glazing failures, which, due to the extensive repairs required, have resulted in them only being able to reopen in summer 2018.
“We used Lee Little, a local contractor, to undertake the refurbishment work,” the management representative continues, “and although the storm-resistant glazing was more expensive than standard solutions, our decision has been more than vindicated by the fact that we were able to reopen the complex so quickly after Harvey.”
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