Trusted Kawneer and Traco Products Used Before and After Storm Due
to Strength, Durability and Functionality
NORCROSS, Ga. & CRANBERRY, Pa.–Just five months after a category F4 tornado directly hit the Henryville
Schools in Indiana, students returned to a newly reconstructed facility.
Entrances and windows from Kawneer
Company, Inc. and Traco,
both leading Alcoa (NYSE:AA) Building
and Construction Systems‘ brands, were used to help rebuild the
schools.
The original elementary and secondary school buildings had used
entrances and windows from Kawneer and Traco; and the products were
selected for the rebuild because of their strength, functionality and
durability.
According to Alan Gates of Louisville, Kentucky-based Stanley Shultze &
Co. Inc., the project’s glazing contractor and installer, the Alcoa
products held up against the tornado. He noted, “Of all of the window
and door units throughout the buildings, only one window unit was lost
in the tornado, which demonstrates the strength and durability of the
units, and is one of the reasons the school system wanted to rebuild
using products from the same trusted brands.”
During reconstruction, every exterior entrance was replaced, along with
several of the building’s interior doors. Kawneer’s 350
Medium Stile Entrance provides extra strength for applications with
high use, such as schools, and can be easily integrated into its Trifab®
451 VG framing system. In addition, Traco’s TR-3500
and TR-3800
windows offer clean aesthetics, durability and integrated thermal
performance.
Met Tight Deadlines
After the tornado, school and state officials vowed to try and rebuild
in time for the coming school year. Michigan-based BELFOR, a worldwide
leader in disaster recovery and property restoration, served as the
general contractor. BELFOR assessed the damage and created a schedule
that ensured the completion of the job within the timeframe needed by
the school system. This required extended work days and larger
installation crews. Kawneer and Traco met the compressed timeframe.
Response to the new schools from students, faculty, parents and the
Henryville community has been overwhelmingly positive. The schools’
design was very similar to the previous facilities, so students were
able to return to school on time and be in a space that was both new and
completely familiar.
The tornadoes that hit the town of Henryville were a part of a line of
tornadoes that swept through the Midwestern and Southern United States
on March 2. Southern Indiana was among the most devastated areas.
For more information on Kawneer and Traco, please visit www.kawneer.com.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world’s leading producer of primary aluminum, fabricated
aluminum and alumina. In addition to inventing the modern-day aluminum
industry, Alcoa innovation has been behind major milestones in the
aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction, commercial
transportation, consumer electronics and industrial markets over the
past 120 years. Among the solutions Alcoa markets are flat-rolled
products, hard alloy extrusions, and forgings, as well as Alcoa® wheels,
fastening systems, precision and investment castings, and building
systems in addition to its expertise in other light metals such as
titanium and nickel-based super alloys. Sustainability is an integral
part of Alcoa’s operating practices and the product design and
engineering it provides to customers. Alcoa has been a member of the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index for ten consecutive years and approximately
75 percent of all of the aluminum ever produced since 1888 is still in
active use today. Alcoa employs approximately 61,000 people in 31
countries across the world. More information can be found at www.alcoa.com.