May 25 2006
Lifesaving DuPont protective glass technology used at Miami's new U.S. Federal Courthouse has been recognized by the nonprofit Protecting People First Foundation with its Safety Award. The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) was awarded the honor for the new Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse, the first in the country designed to withstand both bomb blasts and hurricane-force winds. The new building, the largest federal courthouse in the United States, spanning two city blocks, meets Miami's stringent hurricane codes as well as U.S. government security standards for blast mitigation. The courthouse is part of the GSA's Design Excellence Program, which commissions designers and artists to improve the design and quality of federal buildings.
"We take very seriously our responsibility to construct government buildings and facilities that provide a safe environment for employees, as well as the public," said Edwin E. Fielder, Jr., regional administrator of GSA's Southeast Sunbelt Regional Office.
DuPont(TM) Butacite(R) and SentryGlas(R) Plus laminated glass interlayers are integral to the courthouse design in windows supplied by glass fabricator Viracon Inc.
"DuPont has a long tradition of protecting people, properties and operations around the world by putting its science to work," said Craig Binetti, vice president and general manager -- DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers. "The Miami Courthouse is a good example of how our innovative new materials such as SentryGlas(R) Plus can be applied to meet very specific needs in an area that is vulnerable to severe weather."