During a storm, wind pushes and pulls on windows, doors, and glazed façades while driving rain against their joints and seals. Glass panels and framing bend under those loads, and windborne debris may create an additional impact hazard.
Selecting systems for these conditions requires attention to the complete assembly: glass, framing, hardware, seals, and anchorage. For projects in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and other exposed markets, the appropriate solution depends on the pressures at each opening, its dimensions and operation, and its connection to the building.
Establish Wind Requirements Before Selecting a System
Two openings on the same building may need different wind resistance. Their height and position on the façade, along with the building’s shape and surrounding terrain, influence the loads they receive. Establishing those requirements early helps avoid changes to the glazing layout after a system has been selected.
Account for Inward Pressure and Outward Suction
Wind can press an opening inward or pull it outward. The required resistance may differ in each direction, and openings near building corners can face higher suction than those farther along a wall.
The project’s design professional should provide the positive and negative design pressures for the relevant openings. Those values guide the selection of glass sizes, framing spans, and support details.
A pressure rating is not a universal wind-speed rating. Building height, terrain, and other design assumptions affect the relationship between wind speed and pressure. Any miles-per-hour claim needs those assumptions to be meaningful for a particular project.
Identify the Storm Criteria That Apply to the Site
For projects in Florida and along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, determine whether the openings require windborne-debris protection and which product approvals the jurisdiction accepts. Requirements vary by site, so the specification should identify the applicable pressures, impact criteria, and approval requirements.
In inland markets such as Oklahoma, keep conventional exterior-opening requirements separate from any tornado shelter criteria. Hurricane impact testing alone does not qualify a window or door for a tornado safe room, which has its own design and testing requirements.
Check Structural Response and Water Resistance
Wind resistance includes both load capacity and control of deflection. Water penetration requires another evaluation: an opening may withstand its specified structural load yet allow rain into the interior. The specification should state the required performance for each.
ASTM E330/E330M evaluates structural performance under uniform static air pressure, including the specimen’s response to loading. It does not, on its own, establish water resistance, debris-impact resistance, or the capacity of adjacent construction.
Keep Deflection Within the Glazing System’s Limits
Glass panels and aluminum framing bend under wind load. The design must limit that movement while maintaining glass support and the required clearances between components.
Long mullion spans and large glass panels deserve particular attention. Glass bite—the depth of glass engagement within its retaining pocket—and edge clearances must remain adequate as the system moves. Increasing glass thickness cannot compensate for a framing member or connection that lacks the required capacity.
Connections must also transfer loads into suitable supporting construction. An anchor detail developed for concrete cannot simply be carried over to a different substrate without evaluation.
Evaluate Rain Under a Pressure Difference
Rainfall alone does not reproduce the conditions at an opening during a windstorm. A pressure difference across the assembly can drive water through joints that appear satisfactory during ordinary weather.
ASTM E331 evaluates water penetration while water is applied to the exterior and a uniform static pressure difference is maintained. The test pressure, specimen configuration, and acceptance criteria provide the context needed to assess a result. A statement that a product was “water tested” leaves that information unanswered.
Many glazing systems collect some water within designated areas and drain it outside. Installation details must preserve that route while connecting the frame to the wall’s water-management layers. Blocking drainage openings with sealant can disrupt the intended operation.
Distinguish Laminated Glass from an Impact-Tested Assembly
Laminated glass consists of glass layers bonded with an interlayer that can retain fragments after breakage. This makes it an important component in many impact-resistant designs, but laminated glass panels can differ substantially in their construction and performance.
Impact resistance must be established for the assembly. Glass thickness, interlayer, framing, retention method, anchors, and panel dimensions all affect whether a proposed opening falls within the documented limits. A different laminate or a larger panel may require further evaluation.
ASTM E1886 provides a test method involving standardized projectile impacts followed by cyclic pressure loading. ASTM E1996 establishes the specification used with that method for applicable hurricane windborne-debris evaluations. These evaluations address impact and pressure cycling; they do not replace a separate water-penetration assessment.
PRL explains how glass retention, framing, and anchorage contribute to door performance during hurricanes and extreme conditions. The relevant test reports and approvals establish which construction details apply to the proposed opening.
Choose Systems According to Opening Size and Operation
A broad fixed façade and a frequently used entrance present different design problems. The façade may be governed by framing spans and structural supports, while an entrance adds moving door panels, latches, and threshold details. These differences help determine which system to evaluate.
Curtain Wall and Storefront
For larger glazed areas, PRL curtain wall systems provide options when standard storefront cannot meet the required size or load conditions. Mullion depth, span between supports, panel layout, and attachment details help determine which system is appropriate.
PRL storefront systems offer multiple series for commercial glazing and entrances. Selected configurations can accommodate laminated or tested impact-resistant glazing, subject to the applicable assembly requirements.
A tall retail opening, for example, may need a different framing approach from a shorter opening with similar sightlines. If the initial layout exceeds a series’ limits, the team may need to add a framing division, revise the supports, or consider curtain wall. The product category alone does not establish its wind or water rating.
Max Windows
PRL Max Windows are available in fixed, awning, and casement configurations. Fixed units provide glazing without an operating sash; awning and casement units provide ventilation through a sash with hinges, locking points, and weather seals.
PRL notes that performance results vary by window type, dimensions, and glass configuration. A fixed-window result should therefore not be assumed to cover an operable unit of similar size.
Start with the room’s ventilation needs, then assess the proposed window type, size, and glazing against its corresponding performance information. For operable windows, hardware and sash alignment also contribute to proper seal engagement.
Aluminum Doors and Entrances
With aluminum doors, selection includes the door panel, frame, glazing, hinges or pivots, latches, and threshold. Changing the swing direction or hardware arrangement can change which performance information applies.
PRL publishes hurricane-impact references for a specific single-outswing Battle Door configuration. Those references should not be extended to every door in the aluminum line. Water resistance also depends on the entrance configuration, including its hardware arrangement.
Where an entrance includes sidelites or a transom, establish how those components are supported and which documentation covers them. Threshold and sealing details must also accommodate the project’s accessibility and egress requirements.
Prepare Your Project Details for PRL
Clear project information makes it easier to identify suitable options and compare proposals. Include the required performance alongside the opening dimensions so that glass, framing, and installation assumptions are considered from the beginning.
For a new project or replacement, provide:
- Project location and applicable requirements, including required product approvals.
- Opening dimensions and elevations, showing each opening’s position on the building.
- Positive and negative design pressures, with the design basis clearly identified.
- Water-penetration and debris-impact requirements, where applicable.
- System preferences and operating types, including entrance layouts and glass makeup.
- Supporting construction and attachment conditions, with available installation details.
For replacement work, include information about the existing wall and substrate. The condition of the supporting construction may affect anchorage choices even when the new opening fits the original dimensions.
Before fabrication, resolve proposed substitutions and establish any required mockup or field-testing procedures. Changes to glass, hardware, or anchors should be evaluated against the approved design.
Contact PRL Glass & Aluminum with your plans and performance requirements to discuss curtain wall, storefront, Max Windows, aluminum doors, and laminated glass options for your project.
