Forbes magazine has devoted an article to the collaboration between CEE Professor Dr. Arindam Chowdhury and Applied Insurance Research AIR Wolrdwide.
 
AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) announced today that it has collaborated with the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) and the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University (FIU), and will fund the installation of the "AIR Turntable" for the "RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind" (WOW) hurricane simulator. The AIR Turntable is a computer controlled, mechanical platform which will be used to better evaluate extreme wind loading conditions by facilitating the testing of buildings at different angles of attack. The AIR Turntable will be programmed to simulate directionality-change effects on test structures.

"Just as the effective monitoring of car crash tests drastically changed automobile safety through the introduction of air bags, the IHRC research team intends to do the same for the housing industry through full-scale testing of buildings and their components," said Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, Director of the center. "The WOW testing aided by the capabilities of the AIR Turntable will revolutionize our residential and commercial construction and retrofitting practices and lead to more effective methods of strengthening buildings against extreme winds."

The WOW structure includes an array of six industrial fans capable of replicating Category 4 hurricane conditions with winds up to 140 miles per hour. The simulation will allow scientists to study the impact of hurricane-force winds and wind-driven precipitation on a variety of building types and materials, as well as construction methods.

The AIR Turntable is part of the WOW facility which is being constructed on the Engineering campus of Florida International University. The state-of-the art testing facility will enable full-scale structural testing. By eliminating scaling errors, full-scale testing provides a more realistic simulation, which is crucial to better understanding the effects of extreme winds on buildings, materials, and construction methods. Although several universities, private industries, and government laboratories have experimental and testing facilities for wind engineering, no other facility in the U.S. is currently capable of testing full-scale buildings to destruction.

"AIR is committed to researching mitigation technologies in order to reduce the vulnerability of properties in extreme wind events such as hurricanes," said Jayanta Guin, senior vice president of research and modeling at AIR Worldwide. "The findings from this research project should lead to improved mitigation strategies and better building methods, which will ultimately help reduce economic losses from future catastrophes."

The testing facility is slated to be completed in late Summer 2007. The WOW project is also supported by Renaissance Reinsurance (RenaissanceRe) Holdings Ltd. and the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management (FLDEM).

About AIR Worldwide Corporation

AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) is a leading risk modeling company helping clients manage the financial impact of catastrophes and weather. Utilizing the latest science and technology, AIR models natural catastrophes in more than 40 countries and the risk from terrorism in the United States. Other areas of expertise include site-specific seismic engineering analysis, catastrophe bonds, and property replacement cost valuation. An ISO business, AIR was founded in 1987 to provide its insurance, reinsurance, corporate, and government clients a complete line of risk modeling software and consulting services that produce consistent and reliable results. Headquartered in Boston, AIR has additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit
www.air-worldwide.com.

About the International Hurricane Research Center

The International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) is an interdisciplinary research center focused on the mitigation of hurricane damage to people, the economy, and the built and natural environment. Established by the State Legislature in 1995, the IHRC at Florida International University is the Type 1 Center for hurricane research in the State of Florida.

About the College of Engineering and Computing at FIU

Florida International University is one of the 25 largest universities in the U.S. and is ranked as a Research University in the High Research Activity category of the Carnegie Foundation's prestigious classification system.

The College of Engineering and Computing at FIU offers more than 30 degrees through its baccalaureate, master and doctoral programs. It is ranked within the top 50 Universities producing engineers at the master's level in the US.

For more information, see Forbes article at