The ocean is rising — and so is Miami’s skyline
September 18, 2023 | Vox

Miami is at the water’s edge of understanding exactly how buildings fall apart under hurricanes and how to make them stand up to future storms. Results from labs like the Wall of Wind help officials decide where buildings can be built, what materials they need to use, and even what kinds of roofing nails are required.

Construction standards in an era of increasing natural disasters: FIU leads the conversation
September 8, 2023 | FIU News

FIU is steering the nation's infrastructure agenda through critical research and advocacy. Recently, government officials, students, and faculty experts, including Dr. Arindam Gan Chowdhury, NHERI Wall of Wind Director, gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss a national problem: the country's outdated building codes.

Wall of Wind challenge is launching pad for high school students, hub for alumni
June 8, 2023 | FIU News

Recently, Florida International University (FIU) hosted its Wall of Wind (WOW) Mitigation Challenge, which has teams of high school students develop innovative wind mitigation concepts and solutions within guidelines set by Wall of Wind engineers.

FIU's Wall of Wind prepares Floridians for future hurricanes
June 1, 2023 | Morning in America

June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season. Florida researchers simulate worst-case scenario hurricane winds in Florida International University's Wall of Wind facility to better plan for storms that may make their way to the coast.

'Wall of Wind' hurricane facility puts buildings through Category 5 test
June 1, 2023 | FOX Weather Live

Erik Salna, Associate Director of Education and Outreach for the FIU Extreme Events Institute joined FOX Weather to talk about Florida International University's "Wall of Wind" hurricane facility and how it all works.

‘Wall of Wind’ tests rooftops to see if structures can withstand hurricane-force winds
April 5, 2023 | FOX Weather

FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell shows Florida high school teams testing rooftop designs for the ‘Wall of Wind’ challenge.

Researchers discussed their work as part of Aspen Ideas climate conference
March 22, 2023 | FIU News

FIU researchers, including the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind discussed their work and showcased various projects during excursions for attendees of the recent Aspen Ideas: Climate conference, which was hosted by the prestigious Aspen Institute in collaboration with the City of Miami Beach.

Hurricane Simulation Lab: the Wall of Wind at FIU Miami
March 16, 2023 | PBS series HomeDiagnosisTV

PBS series HomeDiagnosisTV features the NHERI-FIU Wall of Wind, 12 giant fans arranged to simulate a Category 5 hurricane. See their testing setup and meet the engineers who are helping to advance wind engineering.

Reducing wind damage is the focus of the partnership between top U.S. companies, FIU, Texas Tech and Florida Tech
December 8, 2022 | FIU News

With support from the National Science Foundation, FIU and Texas Tech University (TTU) are accelerating the application of wind hazard research to real-world problems through the collaborative creation of the Center for Wind Hazard and Infrastructure Performance (WHIP-C).

Engineers studying damage left behind from Hurricane Ian for lessons we can learn as we rebuild
October 27, 2022 | FOX 4, Fort Myers

Dr. Zisis, NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind Researcher, was on the ground shortly after Hurricane Ian, studying the damage. From what he saw, the building codes addressing wind appear to have made a difference.

30 years later: Hurricane Andrew’s legacy
August 24, 2022 | FIU News

A great deal has changed since August 24, 1992 – from how hurricane insurance works to Florida building codes – and FIU has been at the forefront of that change. In fact, FIU’s Wall of Wind (WOW) is a direct legacy of Hurricane Andrew.

Professor researches destructive thunderstorms by simulating winds at FIU
July 15, 2022 | FIU News

Professor and wind engineering researcher Amal Elawady is using the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind at FIU to research how high-intensity winds from downbursts affect low-rise residential buildings. A downburst occurs when a large amount of rain, hail or air from a thunderstorm cloud plummets earthward, generating wind in a downward direction. Once the wind hits the ground, it spreads in all radial directions and a wind vortex forms on the edges of the storm.

Head of NSF's Directorate of Engineering discusses diversity and research at FIU
June 3, 2022 | FIU News

Listening, learning and wanting to serve, Susan Margulies, head of the National Science Foundation’s Directorate of Engineering, led a discussion at the FIU College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) about diversity and inclusion in education and research. Margulies was one of several national leaders on campus attending a press conference at the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind.

FEMA announces national initiative to modernize building codes at FIU Wall of Wind
June 1, 2022 | FIU News

With the NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind at FIU as a backdrop, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced a new initiative by the Biden-Harris administration to modernize building codes, improve climate resilience and reduce energy costs.

Professor and renowned wind researcher Amal Elawady receives NSF CAREER Award
February 7, 2022 | FIU News

Professor and NSF-NHERI Wall of Wind researcher Amal Elawady is FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing’s 20th NSF CAREER Award recipient. Elawady will receive more than $700,000 in the form of an NSF grant earmarked to advance research into the impact of downburst winds — caused by thunderstorms — on building structures worldwide.