Sept. 11 changed everything, even the architecture that surrounds American’s daily lives.  While the concept of creating blast-resistant structures is nothing new, the emphasis on its use has surged dramatically.  Barricades, guards and new security protocols have suddenly surrounded sensitive structure and Blast Resistant upgrades have become a more urgent priority.  Many government agencies, from the Department of Defense to the Federal Aviation Administration rapidly developed new standards and criteria to reduce the threat to facilities and occupants. 

But How Safe is Safe

You can never completely protect any type of facility regardless of the safety measure you put in place, and it’s been that way throughout history.  However, the physics of explosions has not changed, and we can design against explosive effects.

Saving lives is what blast resistance is all about.

While terrorists may employ a myriad of tactics, they often choose explosive devices.  Whether the device of choice is a shoe bomb or a pipe bomb or a large vehicular bomb, terrorists rely on proximity.  To be effective, they must be close.  Charge weight (the size of the explosive) and standoff distance (how far the explosive is from its target) can often determine the success or failure of a terrorist attempt.

A recently released study, The Pentagon Building Performance Report, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, credits the Pentagon’s original design and construction as the major factors accounting for the minimal loss of life.

The superior performance of the improved window system incorporated during a recent renovation is evident, according to the report.  Essentially, while the original design and construction features of the Pentagon served as the major factors preventing the loss of life, blast-resistant modifications helped save lives by reducing shards and debris and preventing the spread of fire.

Winco Window Co. has blast tested more windows using live explosives then any other window company. Winco can provide blast resistant windows for your project. Please 800-525-8089 to get complete information.