Tampa institute builds cluster of hurricane-resistant buildings in South Carolina

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) wasn't content with its ultra-hurricane-resistant headquarters in Tampa, an iconic, hurricane-symbol shaped building adjacent to the Museum of Science and Industry.

Now it's building a $40 million cluster of hurricane-resistant buildings in South Carolina, a full-scale lab to test ways to minimize hurricane and fire damage.

IBHS, which is funded by the insurance industry, on Wednesday broke ground for its disaster safety research center in Chester County, S.C. It says the lab will be "unique in all the world" with the ability to subject 2,000-square-foot, one- and two-story homes, plus light commercial construction and agricultural buildings to "a variety of hazards, including realistic Category 3 hurricanes, wind-blown fire (mimicking wildfire embers), and hailstorms."

Construction will be funded by property insurance companies, reinsurers and brokers. The goal is to find ways to minimize risk and loss from natural disasters by repeatedly subjecting the buildings to catastrophic conditions.

Institute spokeswoman Candace Iskowitz said many labs have been built to test against the force of earthquakes, but nothing of this scope to test against hurricane winds, wind-driven rain and wind-blown fire.