47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

The primary cause of window breakage was wind-borne debris.(see Figure 4-9). West Jefferson Medical Center had 76 windowsbroken, mainly by flying aggregate. Intensive care patients had tobe moved to the recovery room in the interior of the building andaway from windows. The Psychiatry building had rainwater penetrationthrough windows, even though they were not broken.Although many important hospital functions are located awayfrom the exterior windows, wind-blown rain can damage expensiveequipment even when it is located some distance fromthe broken window (see Figure 4-10). At West Jefferson MedicalCenter, the fitness center building sustained $250,000 worthof damage that resulted from water driven through the brokenwindows and from 30 days of high humidity, before the air-conditioningwas restored.Exterior doors were often pushed in by floodwaters and blownopen and damaged by wind pressure. Breakaway doors are particularlyvulnerable to opening in high-wind conditions, as windpressure can build up through the unsecured doors. Groundfloor entrance doors at Hancock Medical Center had to beblocked by sandbags and two-by-fours, both on the inside and theoutside, to stay closed (see Figure 4-11). The penthouse door atGarden Park Medical Center in Gulfport was blown off its hingesby strong winds.Figure 4-9:Broken windows at TouroInfirmary4-14 OBSERVATIONS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF CRITICAL FACILITIES