Curriculum Vitae
Larry J. Tanner
NWI Research Assistant Professor
Registered Professional Engineer/ State of Texas
Register Architect / States of Texas, Oklahoma & Pennsylvania
Graduate, Texas Tech University, 1971, Architecture (Construction Option), 5 year program
Larry Tanner has spent his professional life in the field of architectural and engineering
design and construction. He has been owner and partner of several AE firms and maintains a
consulting practice in AE Forensics. Public sector work includes directorship of the Office of
Facility Planning and Construction at Texas Tech University, lecturing in the College of
Engineering, and managing the NWI Debris Impact Test Facility. Academic and research
accomplishments follow:
National Conferences:
Panel Member on Wind Forces, National Hurricane Conference, Orlando, FL, 2006
Presenter, Wind Forces in Hurricane Ike 2008,
National Hurricane Conference, Austin, TX, 2009
Presenter, International Code Council National Meeting, Dallas, TX, 2009
Technical Committee Member, ANSI A250.13-2008, Testing and Rating of Severe Windstorm
Resistant Components for Swinging Door Assemblies, 2009-present
Technical Committee Member on Manufactured Housing, National Fire Protection Association,
2007-present
State Meetings and Presentations:
Testimony "The Use of Building Codes to Mitigate Damage from Hurricanes & Coastal
Windstorms" to The Texas Senate Subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, Austin, TX, 2008
Testimony "FEMA Mitigation Assessment Team Observations,” to The Texas House
Subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations Hurricane Ike, League City, TX, 2008
Testimony "Mitigating Damage to Residential Structures from Hurricanes and Coastal
Windstorm,” to The Texas Senate Subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, Austin, TX 2009
Safe Room Training Workshops, Austin & Fort Worth, TX, and Birmingham, AL, 2011
Research - Shelter & Storm Damage Documentation:
Manager, Debris Impact Test Facility, National Wind Institute, TTU, storm shelter and product
research and development, 1998-present.
Tornado and Hurricane Damage Documentation and Reporting, Debris Impact Test & Research
Facility, National Wind Institute, TTU, -1998-present.
Authorship/Co-authorship of Reports of the following Storm Investigations:
Oklahoma/Kansas Tornadoes, 1999;
Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tornado, 2000;
Happy, TX Tornado, 2000;
Ohio Tornadoes, 2002;
Southwest Missouri and Oklahoma City Tornadoes, 2003;
Hurricane Ivan, Pensacola, FL, 2004;
Evansville, Indiana Tornado, 2005;
Central Florida Tornadoes, 2007;
Dixie Tornado Outbreak, TN, 2008;
NWI/TTU Collaborative with FEMA
Oklahoma/Kansas Tornadoes, 1999; FEMA P-342
Hurricane Katrina, AL-MS-LA, 2005; FEMA P-549
Hurricane Ike, TX, 2008; FEMA P-757
Mississippi Tornadoes, 2010;
Alabama, Mississippi & Joplin, MO Tornadoes, 2011; FEMA P-908
Authorship/Co-authorship of Reports/Papers
Taking Shelter from the Storm, Building a Safe Room in Your Home, FEMA P-320, 1998, 2008,
2014
Design and Construction Guidance for Community Shelters, FEMA P-361, 1999, 2008, 2015
Tornado Protection, Selecting Best Available Refuge Areas in Buildings, FEMA P-431, 2015
Moore, OK, May 2013 Tornado Shelter Performance Report (NSF Funded)
Analysis of the Above-ground Shelter Door Failure, April 2014, Mayflower, AR (NSSA Funded)
Memberships and Associations:
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
American Association of Wind Engineers (AAWE)
National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA)
American Society of Pictometry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)