Wall of Wind - Testing materials in a hurricane simulator

The FIU 12-fan Wall of Wind (WOW) Research and Testing Facility was inaugurated on August 24, 2012, the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s devastating landfall in South Florida. The WOW facility is capable of controlled testing in flows that replicate hurricane winds up to Category 5, accompanied by wind-driven rain. The WOW has confirmed the effectiveness of large and full-scale wind and rain testing approaches and is advancing the understanding of hurricane impacts on buildings and developing/validating innovative damage mitigation products to foster hurricane resilient communities.