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By Todd Willmert
Parkinson works with the Belgian firm Solvay developing PVC
to his specification and uses off-the-shelf PVC from the French
manufacturer Ferrari for the structure’s high-pressure
elements—the exoskeleton-ribbed structures that support
entry areas, the airlock, and the entrance canopy. Parkinson
works with Solvay’s specially commissioned, unreinforced
PVC for the main chambers of his luminaria structures. In
contrast, the Ferrari PVC is reinforced with woven nylon,
giving it relative dimensional stability critical to airlock
function. The luminaria’s entry components are conventionally
supported and reinforced, and the structures themselves are
continually inflated with six to eight small fans, depending
on luminaria size, to balance the air lost as people go in
and out. The slight movement and swaying in the unreinforced
PVC spaces, and their curvilinear surfaces and lighting effects,
all contribute to the luminaria’s unique environment.
A space frame obviously creates a different type of environment,
although it too has a PVC skin. In the Samsung pavilion, Mike
Sloan, an architect and head of 3D design at Imagination,
addressed factors informing material selection. “PVC
material is stronger structurally than other materials in
the same price range, allowing us to achieve greater spans
between structural members,” says Sloan. “PVC is
also water impervious and has a low expansion/contraction
rate due to temperature changes. Both qualities were critical
in Salt Lake City, where the weather can change radically
from day to day. The PVC material also came in the bright
white color we were looking for, while still staying within
our budget.”
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