Thousands of windows damaged in high-rise buildings in Houston

High winds damaged more than 3,000 windows and dozens of skylights in high-rise buildings in downtown Houston last week. According to media reports, windows were blown out in several iconic buildings, including Wells Fargo Plaza, Total Energies, Enterprise Plaza, Kinder Morgan and Chevron. Officials say it could take months to repair all the windows.

The extensive damage led Houston Mayor John Whitmire to establish a six-block exclusion zone around downtown while crews continued to clear the area of ​​numerous broken glass and debris.

“Tourists and the curious should be advised to avoid walking in the area where (the Houston Police Department) has closed streets until it is protected from the danger of falling glass,” the officials said. officials of the Houston Downtown Management District. “Replacing some businesses’ new windows could take months due to supply chain issues and the need to manufacture and fit special glass.”

Barry Nishman of Houston-based Arcadia Inc. says most of the damage was to the glass and glazing, not necessarily the framing.

“From what I have seen personally and from the news, damaged homes will need to be rebuilt, which will require new windows, mostly vinyl and aluminum framed, with glass,” he says. “It will take some time for the confidence to build and then rebuild.”

Nishman adds that large commercial buildings downtown are mostly made up of damaged insulated glass. As a result, he says glaziers will experience a slight uptick in business as the building’s tenants look to quickly resume operations.

The spring was not kind to Houston. In addition to thousands of damaged windows, last week’s severe thunderstorms and strong winds killed eight people and contributed to power outages and extensive structural damage. A tornado also touched down near Cypress, a northwest suburb of Houston. These storms followed floods that occurred at the end of April and beginning of May after heavy rains.