TowerSpotter Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Really awesome news! http://www.impactnews.com/articles/woodlands-development-company-announces-new-waterway-office-building Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 The roof of that building is going to be ripped off in the next hurricane. It'll be like a giant sail to catch the wind. Anybody remember what happened to the Pavilion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TowerSpotter Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 I don't think the roof would be ripped off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 The roof of that building is going to be ripped off in the next hurricane. It'll be like a giant sail to catch the wind. Anybody remember what happened to the Pavilion?What are the typical gusts so far inland from a hurricane strike? I'm not saying that they couldn't possibly be damaging, but I would think that they would be lower and that structural engineers could ensure that physical tolerances are adequate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChannelTwoNews Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Might want to merge threads?http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/27038-10-waterway-avenue-office-building-in-the-woodlands/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 What are the typical gusts so far inland from a hurricane strike? I'm not saying that they couldn't possibly be damaging, but I would think that they would be lower and that structural engineers could ensure that physical tolerances are adequate.During Hurricane Ike, the winds in The Woodlands were sustained, at least according to a Texas Tech study, of 80 mph. Usually you can get gusts 20 to 30% higher. In the absolute worst case scenerio (a category 5 hitting just south of Galveston), The Woodlands would see *sustained* winds in excess of Cat 3 (111 mph to 129 mph) with gusts beyond that.The orange bubble near Spring is 84 mph sustained. The dotted dashed line is 74 mph (minimum threshhold for a hurricane).http://www.srh.noaa....nd_contours.pdfAlso keep in mind that wind increases exponentally as you increase you altitude---usually a full category for every 1,000 feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 During Hurricane Ike, the winds in The Woodlands were sustained, at least according to a Texas Tech study, of 80 mph. Usually you can get gusts 20 to 30% higher. In the absolute worst case scenerio (a category 5 hitting just south of Galveston), The Woodlands would see *sustained* winds in excess of Cat 3 (111 mph to 129 mph) with gusts beyond that.The orange bubble near Spring is 84 mph sustained. The dotted dashed line is 74 mph (minimum threshhold for a hurricane).http://www.srh.noaa....nd_contours.pdfAlso keep in mind that wind increases exponentally as you increase you altitude---usually a full category for every 1,000 feet.NOAA was citing the Harris County Appraisal District as its source!? I call BS on that. HCAD gets everything it does wrong. It is an eight-story temple to convoluted wrong-ness. The data is bad. It has to be.Regardless, the odds in any given year of an full-intensity Cat 5 making landfall (meaning that the eye is overland and its still a Cat 5) within Texas and along such a narrow stretch of coastline are sufficiently low that I don't think any reasonable person should attempt to prepare for it. What happens happens. The macro effect of such a storm on the local economy would be so potentially devastating that it may not matter whether an office building could physically sustain the storm because it may not be capable of financially sustaining the aftermath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wxman Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 The study was done by Texas Tech: http://www.atmo.ttu.edu/TTUHRT/HwindSwath.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 The study was done by Texas Tech: http://www.atmo.ttu..../HwindSwath.pngI don't think you understand. HCAD used it. It has cooties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boounce Posted October 2, 2012 Share Posted October 2, 2012 It's an interesting roof indeed. I think I see trees on the top story with little sky cut outs in the roof. I like it. The concerns with scale are valid, but I think with the two Anadarcos and the completion of East block, it will be fine. The entire area is already enjoyable to walk through. I went out with a mid-town friend last weekend and he was pretty amazed. I feel like I stepped into the back-to-the-future-hover-board-chase-scene... but in a nice way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted October 3, 2012 Share Posted October 3, 2012 Keep in mind that wxman cited that study as a worst case scenario. It is likely never to happen, most of all because the Gulf depth in front of Galveston tends to rob hurricanes of energy. IF a Cat5 were ever to make it to shore, and in exactly that location, it could produce Cat3 winds in the Woodlands. But, we may never see a Cat5 hit Galveston.It should also be noted that houses are routinely built to withstand Cat3 winds. City of Houston building codes require it. All it takes to keep residential roofs attached is several metal straps in the right places. To think that engineers cannot design a commercial roof out of steel beams to withstand Cat3 winds when homes built with sticks routinely do so, is a bit ignorant. No Houston skyscraper has ever lost a roof to a hurricane, and they are 30 miles closer to the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.