PGT Innovations Inc. is offering the state of Florida the services of its top engineers to help assess building damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

PGT Innovations director of product management Dean Ruark, along with PGTI professional engineers Lynn Miller and Robert Beaird, will contribute to a study led by the University of Florida to examine the impact of Hurricane Irma on buildings and infrastructure throughout the state. The assessment, led by David O. Prevatt of the University of Florida’s Civil & Coastal Engineering Department, will rapidly collect data on the immediate post-storm condition of buildings before clean-up. The team will also identify specific areas in Florida for more extensive surveys of building damage. The analysis will identify weaknesses and strengths in the remaining structures.

PGTI engineers will contribute data to the study and also examine the performance of PGT impact-resistant windows and doors in areas most affected by the storm.

“I’m eager to contribute to this important analysis,” said Roark, a national expert in building codes. “It’s essential to examine the damage on the ground to learn how buildings performed against a major hurricane. The Florida Building Commission has already taken many vital steps to keep people and buildings safe from major storms. We expect to see that newer buildings performed well against Hurricane Irma, which will affirm the need for strong building codes as well as strict code enforcement in places vulnerable to hurricanes.”

For the building industry, this research can help inform future design of more resilient buildings. For PGT Innovations, Ruark hopes to identify ways to invent safer, stronger and smarter impact-resistant windows and doors.

“PGT Innovations is dedicated to inventing, building, and delivering impact-resistant windows and doors to ensure families, homes, and businesses remain safe through severe weather events,” said Jeff Jackson, president of PGT Innovations.

Ruark is a Florida Registered Professional Engineer. He currently serves on the American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s (AAMA) Code Action Committee and is instrumental in developing code change proposals for the international codes as well as the Florida Building Codes. He also serves as president of the AAMA Southeast Region.