The Institute for Business & Home Safety announced yesterdayit will build a $27 million multi-peril research facility toidentify methods of minimizing natural disaster risks and lossesfaced by homes, businesses, and communities.

Funded entirely by insurers and reinsurers, the new InsuranceCenter for Building Safety Research is to be built in ChesterCounty, S.C.

The facility will have the ability to subject 1,800 square foot,two-story homes and light commercial construction to a variety ofhazards, including realistic Category 3 hurricanes with winds from111 mph to 130 mph, wind-blown fire (mimicking wildfire embers),and hailstorms.

“Chester County, South Carolina, as it turns out, is the perfectlocation for our research facility,” said Julie Rochman, IBHSpresident and chief executive officer.

“We had very specific needs because our lab will be a unique,world-class operation, and it was not easy to find the right home.We couldn't be happier with the results of our long search,” shesaid in a statement.

IBHS said it purchased 90 acres of land along South CarolinaHighway 99 from Chester County. The organization evaluated manysites in several states but chose this location because itfulfilled key search criteria, including:

o A location more than 100 miles from the coast with a very mildclimate to accommodate year-round testing and to preserve the“inventory” of structures kept on the campus.

o More than 35 acres for a campus encompassing a laboratory, anoffice building, and a “street” on which to park structures betweentests.

o No height restrictions precluding structures 80 feet tall.

o Sufficient natural noise reduction features or land upon whichartificial noise barriers could be constructed.

o A location directly adjacent to a 100 kilovolt powertransmission line carrying electricity generated by renewableresources and able to house a transformer/sub-station.

o A site close to other centers of excellence, academicinstitutions, relevant business sectors, and relatively close to amajor interstate with airport access.

“We welcome the Institute for Business & Home Safety andfully support the creation of a new one-of-a-kind multi-perilresearch facility to be located here in Chester County,” said R.Carlisle Roddey, Chester County supervisor, in a statement.

“We look forward to being a supportive partner in making IBHS apremiere source for quality information that improves building andhome safety. The leadership of Chester County remains committed toeconomic development to encourage new industry investment for thepurpose of improving each citizen's prosperity and overall qualityof life,” Mr. Roddey added.

Odell Associates Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., has been chosento lead the architectural/engineering design team for thestate-of-the-art facility, which should be complete in 2010, IBHSsaid.

The Institute said a two-track research program will allow it toaddress catastrophes as well as more isolated but expensivemaintenance-related issues, like plumbing system failure andinterior fires.

The research findings will be used in aggressive consumereducation and advocacy campaigns and supply vital data fordeveloping public policies in areas such as building codes and landuse, said IBHS.

Using building science to develop real-world approaches toreduce the risks posed by natural disasters and other perils is thefocus of IBHS.

Events in recent years, including tornadoes, hurricanes andwildfires, have given its researchers opportunities for field work,during which they have learned much about how to better engineerstructures against certain risks, IBHS said.

But the organization noted that knowledge gaps remain, however,that can be filled only with testing in controlled environments,which the new research center will provide.