01
Assess openings as part of the whole building system.
HURRICANE CHARLEY • BUILDING ENVELOPE
Project Safe Windows: Why Openings Matter
A real-world lesson in how windborne debris, broken openings and internal pressure can turn a local failure into a building-wide loss.
REAL-WORLD LESSON
Risk is rarely isolated.
The ebook recounts Project Safe Windows, which examined hurricane damage and compared protected and unprotected openings. Its central risk lesson is broader than any one product: openings are part of the building envelope, and their failure can allow wind and rain to produce much larger consequences.
This case is presented as a risk-assessment lesson drawn from Michael Fjetland's Houses of Straw, Houses of Wood. The consulting objective is not to prescribe a particular product. It is to identify the weak link, understand the consequences of failure, compare practical mitigation choices and help leadership prioritize action.
WHAT THIS CASE TEACHES
Four questions for leadership
02
Look for pathways that allow a small breach to magnify damage.
03
Compare mitigation options against the actual hazard and consequence.
04
Do not confuse appearance or ordinary solar control with tested protective performance.
FROM LESSONS TO ACTION