Forces of Nature

Protection against natural elements can be a complicated security challenge

• By Tom Niziolek
• Nov 01, 2006

MARCO Island is one of Florida's crowning gulf communities. Known to many as the gateway to Everglades National Park, the coastal town's seasons are marked by the changing faces of its visitors. Ecotourists explore during its sleepy winters, spring is greeted by baseball fans looking to catch a pre-season glimpse of their diamond heroes and summer, of course, is reserved for sun worshipers.

Although five Floridians lost their lives as a result of Wilma, no injuries occured at the Marriott. The resort suffered minimal property damange in the storm's wake. Consistent with product design and testing, the window film prevented most of the glass from even shattering.

But when summer gives way to fall, a different type of guest periodically arrives. Autumn brings tropical depressions, tropical storms and sometimes even hurricanes.

If Marco Island is Florida's crown, then the Marco Island Marriott Resort is its most precious jewel. Billed as an island within an island, the beachfront property boasts a championship golf course, luxurious spa, exclusive restaurants and pools for families and honeymooners alike. A tireless commitment to service, design and amenities earned the resort a coveted inclusion in the prestigious Condé Naste Traveler Gold List.

The Challenge
When Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mass Mutual Life, decided to upgrade the hotel in 2005, the company spared little expense. The company modernized guest rooms, redesigned common areas and even renovated the already grand ballrooms. To protect its investment -- as well as the thousands of guests the resort welcomes each week -- Cornerstone vice president and principal engineer Jerry Speltz contacted The John Hardy Group to oversee an extensive hurricane protection project.

A specialist in facility development, restoration and renovation -- and an expert in disaster services -- JHG planned to install laminated "hurricane" glass throughout the 700-plus room complex to combat potential wind-load threats. Although project manager Wes Wehrend hoped to begin to execute the $7 million glass upgrade immediately, the impending hurricane season required more immediate measures.

Speltz and Wehrend decided to implement an intermediate solution: The resort's existing glass would be coated with a blast-mitigating film to safeguard against a storm striking before the new windows were installed. Although the short-term measure would be temporary, neither Cornerstone nor JHG approached the decision lightly. Both companies examined each product as if window film was the permanent solution -- after all, it is a permanent solution for many property owners. The companies scrutinized an array of solutions before settling on a system manufactured by a 100-year-old company, Madico Inc.

The Solution
Wehrend oversaw the installation of two complementary Madico products: the SafetyShield® 1500 window film and GullWing® attachment system. SafetyShield 1500 has received a variety of third-party certifications for anti-intrusion and blast-mitigation capabilities. In fact, the window film has been proven successful at binding deadly glass shards together during a blast as powerful as 10 pounds per square inch. When paired with the GullWing attachment system, which affixes the window frame to the building envelope, the system can not only prevent occupants from being injured by deadly glass shards, but also inhibit wind and rain from damaging expensive interior furnishings and rendering revenue-generating rooms uninhabitable. The Madico solution became the ideal stopgap.

The installation took place between May and July 2005 and was expedited in anticipation of the impending hurricane season. It was limited to the "large missile zone," or the surface of the building at greatest risk of being damaged by once-benign debris turning into deadly shrapnel by high-force winds. Engineers calculated the large missile zone at 30 feet, which spanned the second and third floors of the resort. The zone is comprised of 4,000 square feet of glass covering 70 guest rooms, the retail mall and main hotel lobby building.

The Test
Within months of the project's completion, Hurricane Wilma, one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, reached landfall. On the path to Florida, Wilma's winds reached 175 miles per hour, waves topped 50 feet and rainfall amounts topped 25 inches. The updated Marco Island Marriott Resort was directly in the storm's path.

Wilma's impact on Florida was devastating. According to the National Weather Service, the storm caused the largest disruption to electrical service ever experienced in Florida, leaving up to 98 percent of the southern part of the state without power. Countless homes and buildings were destroyed. Insurance companies estimated damage in the $12 billion range.

Although five Floridians lost their lives as a result of Wilma, no injuries occurred at the Marriott. The resort suffered minimal property damage in the storm's wake. Consistent with product design and testing, the window film prevented most of the glass from even shattering. In the rare instance in which high winds caused a window to break, the film bound the glass shards together, maintaining a seal that prevented further property damage or injuries. Further, GullWing kept the window unit securely in its frame. Water may have seeped through the frame in some cases, but the attachment system foiled the wind and rain's attempt to permeate the hotel. Speltz reported not a single instance of failure in the Madico system.

The Results

"The interior of the building would have sustained major damage to interior finishes, partitions and equipment, requiring full replacement of all interior finishes and equipment in any area where windows might have failed," Wehrend said.

The Marriott was not only concerned about reducing the hard dollar cost of repairs, but it also sought to avoid soft dollar losses resulting from maintaining uninhabitable rooms. Fortunately for the hotel owners, business interference was minimal.

"There might have been some interruption due to minor water intrusion through the window frames in a small number of guest rooms," Wehrend said. He concluded that had the film and attachment system not performed according to expectations, the hotel would have endured a longer or more pervasive interruption.

Although the Marriott's plans called for window film to be employed as a temporary solution, Wehrend said some property owners should consider the solution on a more permanent basis.

"Based on my experience with this system, I would say it provides owners with another option that may reduce the amount of damage caused by a hurricane, since it does a good job of preventing the glass from being blown out of the window frames," Wehrend said.

Now, the Marco Island Marriott is enjoying a facelift. Gone are the filmed windows that faced Wilma's wrath more than a year ago. Today there is ultra-premium, laminated glass installed. But behind those new windows, the hotel's revered staff, loyal customers and carefully architected interior are all right where they belong.