Structural Transparency – A New Wood Plastic Composite Girder

Abstract

Transparency is one of the significant features of modern architecture. By utilising transparent materials the feeling of lightness can be conveyed. This paper shows the possibility of employing transparent plastic as a load-bearing element. In order to be able to use a new material as part of the building structure it is essential to know its mechanical behaviour under various conditions like different temperatures, environmental impacts or the load duration. Proposals for the design of structural elements that consist of these materials are still rare up to now since plastics are still fairly new to the building industry. By combining transparent with conventional building materials it is possible to merge transparency and strength in a girder that comprises a combination of transparent thermoplastics and wood.