In early September 2008, the Turks & Caicos Islands were battered by Hurricane Ike, a Category 4 Storm with sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts exceeding 160 mph. Though Ike's eye passed directly over the Turks & Caicos Sporting Club, an 1,100-acre private residential community on the islands' southernmost chain, damage to the development was minimal. Kolbe's impact certified windows and doors played a key role in enabling the Sporting Club residences to withstand Ike's assault.
During the two years preceding Hurricane Ike, a mix of impact products, including double hungs, casements, exterior doors and paneled French doors, were installed in 14 exclusive one- and two-story Sporting Club properties, known as the Le Grand and Columbus Beach Cottages. Each two-story home features 20 windows, and eight sets of doors. The one-story home feature 18-20 windows, and six to eight sets of doors.
Aside from a few non-impact windows protected by heavy wooden shutters, the majority of windows and doors in these residences are Kolbe impact products, which feature laminated glass that is designed to stay intact even if the glass is broken. An interlayer in the glass provides greater strength and durability, ensuring the windows and doors will perform at the highest level possible.
According to witnesses, Hurricane Ike damaged the majority of homes in some areas of the Grand Turk & South Caicos Islands. Thanks to thorough planning and state of the art construction including Kolbe's products, Ambergris Cay was able to weather the storm. In fact, Calico's Jack's Pavilion, a key gathering spot for Turks & Caicos Sporting Club residents and visitors, was up and running within days of the hurricane, thanks in part to the strength of the windows and doors.
The fact that Turks & Caicos Sport Club walked out of Hurricane Ike with all infrastructure and homes in great shape is testimony to the high level of planning, engineering and construction of the services and structures of Ambergris Cay.
All of Turks and Caicos Sporting Club's structures meet or exceed U.S. Hurricane Building Standards. Since Sporting Club's inception, it has adhered to a Hurricane Preparedness Plan that is continuously updated as each new home site or club amenity is introduced.
Most of the Kolbe windows and doors installed on the Le Grand and Columbus Beach properties are standard sizes plus a few specially sized casement windows. Kolbe's impact products not only provided superior storm protection, they also met the client's strict architectural expectations. Installation was handled by Jaca TCI and TDMG Concordia, which followed Kolbe's strict hurricane zone guidelines.
"The fact that Turks & Caicos Sport Club walked out of Hurricane Ike with all infrastructure and homes in great shape is testimony to the high level of planning, engineering and construction of the services and structures of Ambergris Cay," stated Dr. Michael Misick, Premier of Turks & Caicos Islands.
Hurricane Ike's onslaught of the Galveston area was so intense that most homes in the storm's path were severely damaged, if not completely destroyed, by its 115 mph winds. Notable exceptions were a pair of beachfront houses that emerged intact, with the aid of impact-certified windows and doors from Kolbe.
The builder, American Villas, had a chance to see the properties right after the storm, and told us how impressed and pleased they were at how Kolbe's windows and doors withstood Ike.
With three stories and an average of 45 windows and 15 doors apiece, these multi-million dollar homes, which were still under construction, would seem to be tempting hurricane targets. "These houses were on the very front line of the hurricane, right on Galveston Beach, but the structures and the windows and doors beat the storm, " said Bob Petersma, Houston area sales manager for Grand Openings, a multi-state distributor of Kolbe products.
"The builder, American Villas, had a chance to see the properties right after the storm, and told us how impressed and pleased they were at how Kolbe's windows and doors withstood Ike, " added Petersma.
All the windows and doors installed in the Galveston Beach homes are from Kolbe's Ultra Series, which features traditional styling, wood interiors, and extruded aluminum cladding. The builder included a mix of casements, Sterling double hungs and outswing doors in standard sizes, with optional divided lights and impact performance modifications.
Kolbe's impact products feature laminated glass, which is designed to stay intact even if the glass is broken. A specialized glazing retention system further ensures the unit will hold the glass securely in place. Impact window and door units are tested extensively to withstand hurricane force winds and the impact of flying debris, and will meet or exceed the strict building codes of the coastal region.