Go beyond code with performance grade Many decisions go into building a home that will survive whatever nature throws at it. Considerations for choosing the windows are often guided by building codes that evolved in response to lessons learned about surviving disasters and extreme weather events. For example, engineers determined that when a hurricane tears the roof off a house, it’s often because windows were breached, letting strong winds in to push the roof up and off from the inside. Even if the roof holds fast, wind-blown rain blasting through a failed window will still cause significant damage. After Hurricane Andrew devastated South Florida in 1992, generating $27 billion in property damage, new requirements for windows regarding impact resistance and design pressure were added to building codes to help houses survive such disasters. Today’s homeowners increasingly want their homes to not merely survive extreme events, but  also to be resilient. According to the Resilient Design Institute, resilience is the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance. It’s the ability to bounce back after a disruption  or interruption. A truly…