Southwest Regional Airport

Fort Myers, FL

The Midfield Terminal Complex at Southwest Regional Airport in Fort Myers, Florida is the largest public works project ever in Fort Myers at $438 million. It includes 80,000 square feet of glazed curtain wall – all hurricane/impact/blast-resistant.  The architect specified 2,000 preglazed panels of various sizes on the project including curtain wall modules of five feet wide by twenty-seven feet tall in one single span of glass.  No module of this size had ever been tested to Miami-Dade standards before.  At the time of 9/11, the design was about 90% complete. These horrific events resulted in a blast analysis of the planned terminal and specifications changed for all glazing to Department of Defense standards. Now, windows had to not only be hurricane- and impact-resistant, but blast-resistant as well while still providing floor to ceiling glass walls with minimal metal to obstruct the view. 

Design specifications requiring a single span of glass meeting Miami-Dade specifications larger than any other tested before was a challenge, but passing blast testing added a new dimension.  Passing mockup testing was critical.  Failure would mean a loss of essential time and added expense.  

Protective glazing systems are only effective when designed as a complete and unified assembly.  The design must incorporate the frame, the glass and the glazing components which include the sealant, gaskets, tapes, setting blocks and spacers.  Since Tremco Commercial Sealants & Waterproofing is the only manufacturer that supplies all of the glazing components, designing an appropriate assembly is second nature.

BC Industries provided the die shapes, glass thicknesses, glass and metal materials.  Tremco’s design engineering team conducted adhesion tests for the silicone to be used to determine appropriate primers and cleaning solutions. The proper gasketing was created in conjunction with the appropriate silicone bite for proper compression and adhesion to pass the stringent testing required and provide optimal performance no matter what conditions might be encountered.  Though spans of glass this size had never been tested before, the glazing system provided by Tremco passed not only the Miami-Dade standards but Category 3 blast testing without a single silicone failure.