Galveston Texas Condo wind tested at Ontario University withstand hurricane Ike
The owners of two new ocean front condominiums, in Galveston, Texas, can enjoy their beachfront homes knowing, like most new condominiums built on the US coast, they were desgined with hurricanes and great storms in mind.
Located just 300 feet from the Gulf of Mexico, the twin towers of the Palisade Palms withstood Ike’s gale-force winds and massive storm surge with minimal impact. “With the exception of some damage to our tennis court and a few windows that leaked, the buildings came through the storm virtually unscathed,” says Richard Anderson, vice-president of development operations for Falcon Group, the project developer for the condominiums.
Designed by Toronto architectural firm Kirkor, the Palisade Palms was built specifically to withstand the impact of a major hurricane. “Before we started construction, we had a scale model of the towers tested in a special wind-tunnel laboratory at the University of Western Ontario,” explains Anderson.
As a result of the lab’s expertise in assessing real-life building design issues based on predicting wind loads, the project’s structural engineer designed the main floor units and building lobby to sit 33 feet above sea level, nearly twice the height of the 17-foot coastal seawall. Established in 1965, the world-renowned lab, in London, Ontario, has been involved in the evaluation of many famous structures, including the Toronto’s CN Tower and the Sears Tower in Chicago.