About Research at the Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research

The Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research is one of four laboratories under the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) umbrella.

The LWE is dedicated to creating a more hurricane resistant society. During the past three decades, damages in the United States due to hurricanes have averaged about $5 billion a year. Tropical storms and hurricanes are multi-dimensional phenomena -- wind, storm surge, rainfall, and waves can all be sources of potential damage to vulnerable communities. The LWE converts the information and knowledge gained through structural mitigation research into practical tools for professionals, practitioners, and the general public. The "Hurricane Loss Reduction for Residences and Mobile Homes in Florida Project" (HLRD) is just one example of the LWE's interdisciplinary research. Work funded by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) focuses on: 1) eliminating barriers to upgrading existing mobile homes, 2) determining the feasibility of recycling older mobile homes and 3) testing hurricane loss reduction methods for site-built housing