Jul 19 2005
As predicted by meteorologists and the U.S. government, this year's Atlantic hurricane season is proving to be a record-breaker. One Texas company is helping homeowners along the Gulf Coast rest easier during the worrisome hurricane season.
Fort Worth-based FutureStone distributes a building product that withstands hurricane-force winds and the resulting flying debris, while allowing homeowners to enjoy a beautiful and incredibly energy-efficient house. Storm researchers and the U.S. government are predicting up to 15 named tropical storms in the Atlantic this year, with as many as 9 of them becoming hurricanes. That's considerably higher than the yearly average of 9.6 named storms and 5.9 hurricanes.
Already, this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which occurs from June 1 to November 30, has produced five named storms.
It's the first time since record-keeping began in 1851 that the Atlantic hurricane season has produced even four named storms this early, says the hurricane center's lead forecaster, Martin Nelson. To protect their lives and property against this yearly assault, an increasing number of people in coastal communities are opting to build homes made of insulated concrete forms (ICFs).
FutureStone distributes NUDURA ICF, a building technology that consists of thick polystyrene forms filled with concrete. NUDURA built walls are up to nine times stronger than wood-framed walls and they offer unbeatable protection against flying debris, one of the biggest killers in high-wind storms. The Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University tested standard wood and steel framed walls as well as ICF-built walls. Researchers fired 15-pound lumber "missiles" at wall sections to simulate debris carried in a 250 mph wind. (These wind speeds are typical of tornadoes; hurricane winds tend to be much lower.) The ICF walls survived the assault, while the projectiles penetrated or destroyed the wood- and steel-framed walls.
Researchers report, "the strength and durability of concrete walls formed with ICFs offer unmatched resistance to the devastation of major storms."
The owner of Bullfrog Builders of Beaumont, Texas, says homeowners are choosing ICF-built homes for their structural integrity as well as their energy efficiency.
"A lot of updated building codes are calling for increased high-wind resistance," says Bruce Craig. "The beauty of these homes is that they offer not only hurricane and tornado protection, which lowers homeowners insurance, but that they also decrease utility bills by up to 40 percent," he says.