peter rice

This project explores the use of
polycarbonate as a structural
material, in addition to its use as a
cladding. Polycarbonate is almost the
opposite of glass. It is tough not
fragile. That means it is easy to
handle and will not easily break. But
it is not very strong, in the structural
sense. And it loses strength when
heated even by sunlight. This
structural weakness would mean that
the polycarbonate element would
buckle if overloaded. The detailing is
designed to exploit the characteristics
of the polycarl;>0nate while protecting
it against its weaknesses. Blocks are
glued to polycarbonate. This is the
opposite to the glass where bearings
are place in the glass plane.
The polycarbonate and timber in the
lower plane of the arch are separated
by an adjustable steel strut. This is
connected to the stainless steel block
on the polycarbonate through a
rubber block which permits some
movement but prevents sharp loading
change damaging the weaker
polycarbonate. The character and
physical nature of polycarbonate has
created the details which give
character to the design.
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