Transformable Curved Thin Glass Greenhouse

Abstract

The use of new generation thin, lightweight and damage-resistant glass, originally conceived for electronic displays, is being very recently proposed for structural applications, in particular for adaptive and movable skins and façades. This paper explores this concept and presents a study on the structural use of thin glass in greenhouses for protected agriculture, based on the use of cold-twisted elements and on the exploitation of their buckling phenomena. This innovative kind of greenhouse is obtained by means of mechanisms typical of transformable architecture, as the modification of the curvature of the panels, allowing the "opening/closing" of the structure roof. The kinetics of the structure will allow to modify not only the orientation and the inclination of the different surfaces forming the greenhouse, but also size and shape of the openings. Numerical analyses and “design-by-prototyping" strategy, entailing the construction of a reduced-scale mock-up of the greenhouse, have demonstrated the feasibility of this concept.

Authors and Affiliations

Laura Galuppi

Keywords

Related Articles

From Plastic Waste to Building Material: Mechanical Properties of Recycled Thermoplastic Timber

The present paper illustrates the mechanical properties of a new structural product called Recycled Thermoplastic Timber (RTT), manufactured in Sardinia (Italy) and made of recycled plastics. The preliminary results of a...

International Journal of Structural Glass and Advanced Materials Research: A New Open Platform for Materials Science

The International Journal of Structural Glass and Advanced Materials Research (IJSGAMR) is a new peer-reviewed, open access journal, which covers all aspects of theoretical and practical research of materials science. Th...

Structural Performance of Double Laminated Glass Panels with EVA and PVB Interlayer in Four-Point Bending Tests

Many examples of glass loadbearing structures such as handrails, panes, beams and columns can be found in modern architecture. Most of these elements are made of laminated glass panels. There is a general lack of knowled...

Influence of Acid Frosting on the Microstructure Characteristics and Mechanical Strength of Eroded Soda-Lime-Silica Glasses by Sandstorm

Most glass products such as cars windshields, solar panels protecting glass and windowpanes are exposed to unavoidable sandblasting effects especially in areas prone to sandstorms. This sand impingement results into micr...

Transformable Curved Thin Glass Greenhouse

The use of new generation thin, lightweight and damage-resistant glass, originally conceived for electronic displays, is being very recently proposed for structural applications, in particular for adaptive and movable sk...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP40353
  • DOI 10.3844/sgamrsp.2018.198.217
  • Views 352
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Laura Galuppi (2017). Transformable Curved Thin Glass Greenhouse. International Journal of Structural Glass and Advanced Materials Research, 1(1), -. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-40353