New complex receives first-ever FORTIFIED hurricane-resistant gold standard
A new Alabama condo is the first to ever achieve IBHS's gold standard for hurricane-resistant construction guidelines.
The new Colonial Inn Condominium complex located on the coastline of Alabama has become the first to receive the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) FORTIFIED Commercial construction standards first place gold ranking.
FORTIFIED Commercial Gold creates a strong continuous load path, which ties the entire structure together, enabling it to withstand extreme weather from hurricanes, including Category 5 wind speeds of 160 mph. It also includes onsite power backup for important utilities. It is the highest level of resiliency certification offered by IBHS.
This achievement comes shortly after the newly rebuilt Lodge at Gulf State Park hotel became the first hurricane-resistant construction ever to meet FORTIFIED Commercial construction standards, earning the bronze-level.
Related: First-ever ‘hurricane-resilient’ hotel opens on the Gulf Coast
FORTIFIED ‘hurricane-resilient’ standards
FORTIFIED has three rankings of extreme weather “resilience:” bronze, silver and gold. The difference between the three levels revolves around roof design, backup power, and more costly add-ons.
FORTIFIED Commercial designations are currently available only in Alabama, where over the past five years, IBHS has approved more than 7,000 FORTIFIED Homes. With the Colonial Inn Condominiums project along with The Lodge hotel, Chuck Miccolis, vice president, commercial lines at IBHS says the company has established how commercial structures in Alabama can be built stronger to withstand severe weather events.
IBHS conducts commercial construction “testing” at the 90-acre IBHS Research Center in Chester County, South Carolina to test a construction project’s weather resiliency. Numerous weather perils can be simulated in the IBHS test chamber including hurricane-force winds, severe hailstorms, torrential rainstorms and wildfires.
Complete details on IBHS’s FORTIFIED Commercial construction standards and qualifications can be found on their website.
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