When John Pistorino set out to create the “Sandcastle,” a Hurricane-resistant demonstration building in Islamorada, Florida, he knew it would need to withstand the high winds and storm surges of the hurricanes that plague the Florida Keys.
Florida is the hurricane capital of the United States, and Islamorada has been home to several hurricanes since construction on the Sandcastle started in 1991, including the powerful and destructive Category 5 Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A 1935 hurricane, one of the biggest to ever hit the area, had a storm surge of 25 feet and 135 mph winds. Pistorino wanted this demonstration home, which sits 50 feet from the Atlantic Ocean, to withstand that kind of battering.