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China Boasts World's Tallest Ice Structure

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018


China is now home to the world’s tallest ice shell structure. Students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Harbin Institute of Technology have worked to erect the 100.1-feet-tall structure that opened to the public last week in China’s Heilongjiang Province.

Design

The “Flamenco Ice Tower” was designed to look like a flamenco dress and, at the height of a six-story building, is 32 feet taller than the team’s last structure, which was put together in 2015.

The key, reports say, is that the ice is fiber-reinforced, (That is, mixed with natural fibers such as wood.) This makes it three times stronger than plain ice. Cellulose provides insulation.

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To construct the tower, a balloon was first inflated in the shape of the structure’s interior. Then, the reinforced ice was spray-applied onto the balloon in an average thickness of 25 centimeters. Once everything had settled, the balloon was deflated, leaving the intact sculpture behind.

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The team hopes to perfect this technology to build buildings for events such as the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. This method is also a more sustainable construction template to cold areas, and is even able to assist with Mars missions, according to Structural Ice, the research group associated with TU/e.

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The sculpture is slated to remain standing throughout the entire Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, which runs through Feb. 25.

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Tagged categories: Building Envelope; Building materials; Design; Design build; Spray systems


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