01
Building-envelope breach can trigger cascading consequences.
HURRICANE IKE • HOUSTON
Hurricane Ike & the Weakest Link
A risk-management lesson from Houston: a building can be strong overall and still suffer major loss when one vulnerable component fails.
REAL-WORLD LESSON
Risk is rarely isolated.
During Hurricane Ike, windows failed across Houston. The ebook describes extensive window loss at Chase Tower and months of reconstruction, illustrating how a glazing failure can become an operational, water-intrusion and business-continuity problem.
This case is presented as a risk-assessment lesson drawn from Michael Fjetland's Houses of Straw, Houses of Wood. The consulting objective is not to prescribe a particular product. It is to identify the weak link, understand the consequences of failure, compare practical mitigation choices and help leadership prioritize action.
WHAT THIS CASE TEACHES
Four questions for leadership
02
Risk assessment should evaluate consequences beyond the component that fails.
03
Downtime, water intrusion and recovery costs belong in the risk calculation.
04
Mitigation priorities should focus on weak links capable of producing disproportionate loss.
FROM LESSONS TO ACTION