Pentagon Force Protection Agency

Washington, D.C. area

NATURE OF PROJECT:
Blast Mitigation

SCOPE OF PROJECT:
14 buildings
Square feet of glass protected –  500,000
Number of windows protected – 16,900

TYPE OF FILM INSTALLED:
10-mil clear glass fragment retention
Solar reflective
High performance with electromagnetic interference [EMI]

TYPE OF ATTACHEMENT:
Four sided, structural silicone

CHARACTER OF PROJECT DETAILS:
From March 2002 through August 2003, Commercial Window Shield supplied and installed fragment retention film to more than 16,900 panes of glass – nearly 500,000 square feet. This work has been done in 14 separate buildings housing the Pentagon Forced Protection Agency.

Because of the nature of the work and the locations, all of Commercial Window Shield installers had to be cleared through the Department of Defense NCIC security check system.

This understandable requirement in the wake of 9/11 made the project more difficult.  In some buildings, installers were required to be escorted at all times by security officers. All of the work was performed in fully-occupied buildings, usually during normal working hours. Many of these buildings housed military personnel of various ranks, including generals.

Most of the work performed involved the use of a heavy fragment retention film with four-sided structural silicone frame attachment. The film types ranged from a clear film for blast protection only to a specially made reflective film to satisfy energy saving requirements, to a specialized high-performance film with Electromagnetic Interference properties.

Because post 9/11 high alerts were still in effect and the buildings were in close proximity to the Pentagon, PFPA wanted the work done as quickly as possible. Commercial Window Shield, working on a number of the buildings simultaneously, completed the project on time.