“Traces of Peter Rice”, Arup Phase 2, London, 27 Nov 12

Museum of Science and Industryat Parc de la Villette, Paris 1984The ‘Facades Bioclimatiques’ on the greenhouses or‘Serres’ of the La Villette science museum in Paris werea breakthrough in the use of structural glass and tensilecable truss bracing systems. They were created inresponse to architect Adrien Fainsilber’s design conceptof highly transparent ‘buffer zones’ between the museumand the future park.Peter Rice and his Paris RFR team applied investmentcasting and spherical bearings usually associated withaeronautical and yachting technologies to solve theinterface between brittle glass and flexible cable trusses.The ‘H’ configuration support connects 2×2m, 12mmthick tempered glass panels suspended in a series fromthe stainless steel tubular structural frame with a strutlink back to the cable truss to restrain the glass curtainagainst wind loads.Component elements of the four-point assembly, © Hugh DuttonPeter Rice in the Serres at La Villette observed by Hugh Dutton, 1990Photographer: Michel Denancé, © Michel Denancé18 19