Recently our CFO Jalal Farooq, took part in Façade Tectonics Forum Miami at the University of Miami. Jalal, who helped coordinate the event with Mic Patterson of the Façade Tectonics Institute, was a part of two panels that discussed emerging strategies and design practices for façade systems, buildings, and urban habitat.

The first of five forums kicked off with panelists and industry professionals including Ray Crawford of Crawford-Tracey Corporation, Alan Shulman of Shulman + Associates, Wesley Kean of KoDA, Marilys Nepomechie of Florida International University, and Zach Nord of Vidaris, among others.

During the event, the panel of experts explored the amplified threats of climate change and sea level rise in South Florida’s urban context, and how they feel the area is being resilient in the face of these well-documented threats. Overall, they agreed that South Florida is headed in the right direction when it comes to resiliency, but also believe there is always room for improvement.

An audience member from New Jersey who experienced Hurricane Sandy, the most intense storm of the 2012 hurricane season, asked about the level of protection Florida’s buildings undergo. Jalal explained how every window and door system is subject to strict testing before it becomes available to the market. He also mentioned that as a whole, South Florida has an advantage over other parts of the country when it comes to the quality of its buildings because of building code standards which are updated every three years and are considered the strongest building code in the country.  

The day-long event was sponsored in part by Schüco, Kuraray, and Sika. The next Façade Tectoncis Forum is set to take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota followed by events in Toronto, Seattle, and Houston. For more information, visit facadetectonics.org.