VENICE, Fla., July 24, 2006 – PGT® WinGuard® Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors are featured in the Disaster Survival House, a fortified home in Deerfield Beach, Fla., used as a hurricane and disaster education facility.
Formerly the State Farm Good Neighbor House®, the residential home was built to withstand major hurricane force winds and was designated a Fortified Home by the Institute of Business and Home Safety (IBHS). The home is owned by the City of Deerfield Beach and in partnership with the National Safety Council, Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University and the International Hurricane Research Center and the American Red Cross.
WinGuard windows and doors combine heavy-duty aluminum or vinyl frames with impact-resistant laminated glass. A special silicone glazing process helps keep the glass from breaking away from the frame. Laminated glass is constructed by bonding a tough polyvinylbutyral (PVB) interlayer between two pieces of glass under heat and pressure. Upon impact from wind-borne debris or wind, laminated glass adheres to the interlayer, keeping the glass intact within the frame. The opening is not penetrated because of the strength and energy-absorbing capability of the interlayer.
PGT pioneered the U.S. impact-resistant window and door industry and today is the nation’s leading manufacturer and supplier of residential impact-resistant windows and doors. PGT is also one of the largest window and door manufacturers in the United States. In its 25th year, the company employs approximately 2,400 at its 485,000-square-foot manufacturing and glass laminating and tempering plants, and delivery fleet facilities in Venice, FL, and its 225,000-square-foot production facility in Lexington, N.C. Sold through a network of over 1,300 independent distributors, the company’s total line of custom windows and doors is now available throughout the eastern United States, the Gulf Coast and in a growing international market, which includes the Caribbean, South America and Australia. PGT’s product line includes PGT® Aluminum and Vinyl Windows and Doors; WinGuard® Impact-Resistant Windows and Doors; Multi-Story Series 800 Windows and Doors; and Eze-Breeze® Sliding Panels.
