Brickell office tower's windows exceed Florida building codes

After Hurricane Wilma raked Miami four years ago, developer Alan Ojeda picked his way down Brickell Avenue to survey his new apartment project, One Broadway.

Now, with Wilma's lesson in mind, Ojeda is putting the finishing touches on another new building, 1450 Brickell. His company bills it as the most wind-resistant glass-sided office tower in the nation. In a marketing release, its exterior wall contractor claims it withstood pressure tests in the lab equating to a 327-mph gust.

In what building experts said appears to be a first in Florida for a commercial tower, the entire 35-story facade is being constructed with ''large missile'' impact glass, an upgrade adding millions to the $250 million project. Required for homes but only on the first 30 feet of taller buildings, the glass can withstand strikes from a nine-pound 2-by-4 stud, according to a July 18 article in The Miami Herald.

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