A rising tide
This is one of several restoration projects in Detroit that have benefitted from FRP elements. The Book Cadillac building, completed in 1924 and designed by Louis Kamper, was renovated in 2008 as a mixed hotel and condo development. It had an FRP water-table installed at the 23rd floor, made from drawings provided by Sandvick, the restoration architect.
In the case of the Gabriel Richard Building, also from the 1920s, the original decorative elements were still partly in place, but parts were badly deteriorated. About 30 percent of the building’s scalloped cornice, and 122 lineal m (400 lineal ft) of decorative band and were replaced to match the existing terra cotta. Silicone molds were made from the existing original elements and used to cast FRP to match.
There are several more FRP restoration projects planned in the near future.
Conclusion
Although fiber-reinforced polymer composites have been used in architectural applications for more than 50 years, it is still a ‘new’ material to many design professionals, unfamiliar and a bit mysterious. FRP is seeing a greater acceptance construction now, both in the re-creation of historical detail and for the fabrication of modern shapes that have previously existed only in a computer model. The increase is due in part to the development of new and better resins and gelcoats. Fabrication methods perfected in the boat-building and aerospace industries have also contributed to the versatility of the material.
With the use of both traditional fabrication techniques, as well as digital methods of scanning and restoring deteriorated details, a wide variety of façade features and interior details can be realized in FRP. As more of these projects are built, FRP will inevitably become a more familiar and top-of-mind material when designing both restorations and new construction.
Guy Kenny is president of Glassline Inc., a composites fabricator with more than 50 years of experience in making glass-fiber-reinforced composites for architectural applications, including numerous historical restorations. He can be reached at glassline1@earthlink.net.
Steven H. Miller, CDT, is a writer and photographer specializing in issues of the construction industry, and a freelance marketing communications consultant to building product manufacturers. He can be reached at steve@metaphorce.com.
