Featuring
project profile: security
Saflex® PVB
Small Miracles: The Pentagon
After September 11
If there can be small miracles buried amidst the rubble of the Pentagon
following the 9/11 attacks, the story of the building's renovation shines
through as a salute to American engineering and architectural ingenuity.
Blast resistant renovation work on Wedge One, the sector of the Pentagon
that took the brunt of the damage from the plane crash, was within days of
completion. Had the terrorists taken just a slightly different approach to the
Pentagon on September 11, the death and destruction would have been far
greater.
A Grim Case Study
When American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the building, it hit low
and diagonally, leaving a gaping hole in Wedge One. In the crash area, the
building's outermost shell collapsed completely and the damage continued
inward. The adjacent Wedge Two, where renovation had not yet begun, also
received heavy damage from the crash. Because Wedge One had completed
the blast resistant renovation and Wedge Two had not, the scene offers a
gruesome case study of how effective the renovations were, especially the
glazing upgrades, in lessening the devastation caused by the attacks.
The original Pentagon construction team broke ground on September 11,
1941, exactly 60 years to the day prior to the attack. In the midst of World
War II, building materials were scarce, and the designers exercised economies
in the choices they made. The building is constructed with a thin limestone
façade over a brick infill between reinforced concrete floors. The architectural team opted for the extensive use of windows to reduce the demand
for critical wartime materials, such as concrete and steel. The building was
designed to protect from the elements, but not terrorist bombs and certainly not plane crashes. Following the Oklahoma City bombing, the Federal
Government set new standards to protect federal buildings, and thankfully,
the Pentagon was on the top of the list.
Glass Credited with Saving Lives
The new windows in Wedge One were an insulated, laminated, fully tempered assembly
P RO J E C T FAC T S
PROJECT
The Pentagon
LOCATION
Washington, D.C.
WINDOW MANUFACTURER
Masonry Arts, Inc., Bessemer, Alabama
GLASS FABRICATOR
designed to absorb and resist blast loads without shattering into small projectiles or leaving
Viracon, Owatonna,
Minnesota and Statesboro, Georga
the frame as a single unit. “Following the attack, the majority of the glass remained in the
LAMINATED GLASS INTERLAYER
frame, even in the areas of the building that collapsed," says Brett Eaton in the Pentagon
KeepSafe® Glass featuring Saflex® PVB
Interlayer - Eastman Chemical Company USA
press office. "The Pentagon Renovation Office received numerous emails and phone calls
WEDGE ONE REPLACEMENT COMPLETED
Spring 2003
As the world’s leading interlayer, Saflex is found in nearly 50 percent of laminated architectural and automotive glazing applications globally. In fact, Saflex interlayer is used to protect some of the world’s most precious treasures, including the US Constitution, the Mona Lisa,
and the Louvre. When it comes to critical applications where safety, security, sustainability and acoustic performance are a primary concern,
automotive designers and architects’ first choice is Saflex interlayer.
project profile (cont.)
Architectural Glazing
Design to Meet Security Goals
The trend toward more glass usage in building design has
increased the need for additional protection. Recently developed glazing and framing techniques, including structural
blast performance and the long life cycle of laminated glass,
allow the use of more glass in buildings without sacrificing
comfort or protection. A risk assessment should be should
be conducted prior to designing a facility where a blast hazard is a potential concern to determine the level of protecfrom occupants of the offices directly above the crash site,
tion desired to meet the building project security goals.
all of whom credit the strength of the glass with saving their
lives.
Design/Build Magazine (Oct. 2001) gives a first hand
account. For one employee with Wedge One's mechanical
subcontractor, John J. Kirlin Inc.,"lucky" is an understatement. “We had one guy who was standing, looking out the
window and saw the plane when it was coming in. He was
in front of one of the blast-resistant windows,” says Kirlin
president Wayne T. Day, who believes the window structure
saved the man's life.
Older Glazing Design Failures
The glazing in Wedge Two, the non-renovated section of
the Pentagon, did not fare as well. "Glass in windows 150
feet away from the crash site shattered and sent dangerous
About Saflex
shards flying, "says Eaton. “Most of the windows in Wedge
Over 75 years ago, the originators of the Saflex business
Two failed." As Lee Evey, program manager of the Pentagon
started an entirely new industry based on the belief that
renovation said just days after the crash, “This was a terrible
glass could be made better through lamination. While glass
tragedy and people lost their lives. But I'm here to tell you
was a common material in 1927, it typically occupied rela-
that had we not undertaken this effort (renovation) in the
tively small spaces in buildings. Through lamination and the
building, this could have been much, much worse. New tech-
introduction of Saflex protective interlayers, architects and
nologies and better testing data in the glazing industry no
automotive designers were empowered to rethink their tradi-
doubt contributed to the lives saved on September 11. The
tional approach to glazing design.
industry must now work to educate and support the design
community, as the need for fortified buildings will increase
Photography by: John Harrington
dramatically.”
Eastman Chemical Company
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