Glass panels were removed from balconies on the 37-story, $300 million building in mid-2011 after eight panels shattered on three separate occasions in June, raining glass into the hotel´s pool area and onto adjacent streets.
Final repairs will soon begin on balconies at the W Austin Hotel and Residences, with workers set to install about 1,000 panes of specially engineered glass that can withstand hurricane-force winds and even bomb blasts, according to its manufacturer.
- SentryGlas, a product from DuPont, was determined to be the right choice, Armstrong told the American-Statesman.
- The contractors, not Stratus, will pick up the tab for the $2.5 million project, Armstrong said. About $500,000 has already been spent removing the original glass, as well as providing security guards and protective walkways while that work was under way.
- SentryGlas has an interlayer that holds together shattered panes, according to Harvey. But, he said, its interlayer is much, much tougher than typical laminated glass — 100 times stiffer and five times stronger.
- Instead of brackets on the sides, the glass will now be inset with stainless steel mounts at the top and bottom of each panel.
