Steven Sabac knows one thing for sure these days: there are a whole lot of building owners and property managers throughout hurricane-ravaged Florida who, after taking a long look at their many storm-shattered windows, are wishing that they had installed WINDOWLOCK(R).
But not the facility managers at some of the most recognizable and window-covered buildings in Florida, including the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples, the Orlando Sentinel building, the Miami Dolphins headquarters, and the Nielsen Media Research building in Tampa. They all had the foresight to install WINDOWLOCK before the quadruple hurricanes devastated Florida in August and September.
As the president of Sun Coast Glass Protection, Inc., Sabac has the answer to the question now being asked nonstop by building owners and property managers throughout the Southeast: "How can I protect my multi-storied or commercial building with its expansive panes of glass from hurricane-force winds?"
Based out his office in western Boynton Beach, Sabac has perfected WINDOWLOCK, a process that adheres heavy gauge window film to each glass pane - and then secures the film to the window's frame - creating an anchored system that prevents the glass from shattering or from disengaging from the building. WINDOWLOCK literally attaches the barrier film to the glass and the structure, forming a nearly impenetrable barrier against forced entry, the impact of bomb blasts and the power of Mother Nature. Sabac has been installing WINDOWLOCK technology since 1992, when his first job on a municipal building in Broward County successfully survived Hurricane Andrew.
"Plywood and metal shutters are not feasible or cost-effective for property managers or owners with large buildings. There's no way to efficiently protect a building that has several stories worth of glass from the outside in," Sabac said. "Retro-fitting commercial buildings is my specialty, particularly older office buildings, government agencies, cultural institutions and retail spaces that are covered with glass walls and windows. A lot of building owners and property managers are relieved to discover that with WINDOWLOCK they can effectively protect both their windows and their budgets."
Several years before it was ravaged by Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, Jim Mitchell, senior director of building and production services for the Kravis Center, had Sabac's company install WINDOWLOCK on the building's impressive 9,800 square feet, glass-covered exterior facing Okeechobee Blvd. On several occasions, one or more of the glass window panes had been shattered during random acts of vandalism, leaving the elegant facade with unsightly plywood patches. Additionally, Hurricane Irene made the center's windows quiver far too much for comfort, Mitchell said.
After Sabac's traditional demonstration - where Steve and staff members stand suspended on a shattered pane treated with WINDOWLOCK - Mitchell was convinced that the technology was worth a try.
"We knew after Irene that we had to do it. It was the smart thing to do. Steve showed us how WINDOWLOCK worked, but no one really believed it deep down in our hearts," Mitchell said. "Then someone shot at the building. The glass shattered, but there was no bullet hole through it. The window glass stayed there; it didn't break. We thought 'Wow, this really works.' The beauty of WINDOWLOCK is that the panels stay in place, giving us time to fix it."
Following Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, the Kravis sustained damage to its roof, but not its windows, Mitchell confirmed.
During Hurricane Frances, Andy Hoyt, first vice president and property manager for Fidelity Federal Bank, had similar success with WINDOWLOCK. Located at 205 Datura Street in downtown West Palm Beach, the Fidelity Federal building was built in 1928 and retrofitted with WINDOWLOCK. "It it wasn't feasible to have hurricane shutters installed or the windows replaced with impact-resistant glass, so we went with WINDOWLOCK," Hoyt said.
The job required that the window frames be re-secured to the vintage building before the WINDOWLOCK could be secured to the glass and frames, Sabac said.
The Sunday following Frances' landfall, Hoyt said he found that the steel frame and canvas awnings had come off the building and smashed into the windows, but the windows had remained intact.
"It's good stuff," Hoyt said. "The windows were shattered, but not broken. They were still in place. It did what Steve Sabac said it would do."
"I always knew WINDOWLOCK would withstand the hurricane test. I just never thought it would have to pass four tests in five weeks, but I am pleased to announce that every WINDOWLOCK-treated window survived Charlie, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne," bragged Sabac.
Link to Original Article
Article may no longer be available or requires login account.
| |
