South Florida mayors joined engineers and university researchers Thursday at Florida International University’s Engineering Center for a behind-the-scenes look at how buildings are tested and redesigned to withstand extreme weather.
The tour brought together local officials and FIU faculty as part of a pre-summit infrastructure visit ahead of a national meeting focused on strengthening communities against hurricanes and flooding.
Steven Meiner, mayor of Miami Beach, said the visit highlights the importance of collaboration between cities, universities and the private sector.
“We are highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships and strengthening our infrastructure,” Meiner said.
The group’s first stop was FIU’s Wall of Wind facility, where researchers simulate hurricane conditions to study how buildings, bridges and other structures respond to powerful winds.
Arindam Gan Chowdhury, a professor of civil and environmental engineering who works with FIU’s Wall of Wind research team, said the testing helps identify weaknesses in construction and informs safer building designs.
“These kinds of facilities can simulate the effects of hurricanes on buildings, bridges and other infrastructure, so we learn how they break,” Chowdhury said. “Once we know how they break, we can design them better so they become safer and more resilient.”
But storm testing is only part of the research underway.
Just steps away, leaders toured FIU’s concrete lab, where students and engineers use a 3D concrete printer to explore faster and stronger construction methods.
Atorod Azizinamini, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of FIU’s Infrastructure Research Center, said the technology is already beginning to be applied in real-world projects.
“This technology is starting to be implemented to address some of the deficient infrastructure that we have, and repair it and upgrade it at a fraction of the cost of replacement,” Azizinamini said.
City leaders say partnerships with universities help turn research into action.
Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said FIU’s work plays a key role in improving building standards across Florida.
“Things like this amazing concrete project and also the Wall of Wind are the way we put research into practice, to make sure Florida’s building codes are changed and that we are building more resiliently,” Higgins said. “If we didn’t have a research institution of such quality like FIU right in our backyard, we would not be able to implement these technologies.”
The summit continues in Miami Beach, where FIU President Jeanette Núñez is expected to meet with other university leaders.
