Pérez Art Museum Miami

These harsh environmental conditions, along with the need for public safety and art preservation, meant that the building materials had to meet numerous rigid aesthetic and durability requirements. Ductal® met these requirements -- including superior resistance to hurricane force winds, impact, abrasion and salt/sea air.

Hence, the architect chose Ductal® Envelope for the production of approximately 100 long-span (16 ft [4.9 m]) mullions to support the building's expansive curtain wall glazing system... the world’s largest impact and hurricane-resistant windows (at the time of construction). The tall, thin mullions, produced by a local precaster, were designed to blend with cast-in-place elements and minimize view obstructions. First, a full-scale Ductal® mock-up was produced and subjected to a series of extreme environmental tests. The mock-up passed all tests, with no visible damage or uncontrolled leakage.

The tests also allowed the mullions to meet Florida Building Code requirements including "Cyclical Wind Pressure Loading" (Hurricane Testing).

Top and bottom connector plates were welded onto each mullion to secure and stabilize the elements for transportation to the site. Upon arrival, they were pulled from their containers, installed in place and the hurricane-resistant glass panes were then attached.