Sagrada Familia in ice
A project team from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has build a simplified model in Finland of the Sagrada Familia (Basilica of the Holy Family) out of pykrete - ice reinforced with wood fibers. Because of setbacks in the weather and the building work, the highest ice dome (30 meter) is not yet completed. But the model (on a scale of 1:5) of the famous basilica certainly isn’t a failure. The highest towers currently measure 21 meters high, almost twice the height of ice dome that was built least year. Through this project, initiator Arno Pronk together with students Teun Verberne and Jordy Kern demonstrate that pykrete is an excellent material for building temporary structures.
Societal relevance
The ice dome has been built using large, inflatable molds, over which repeated layers of water reinforced with wood fibers were poured. The mixture, called pykrete, is absorbed directly into the snow, after which the whole structure freezes. The wood fibers make the material three timed as strong as normal ice, and also a lot tougher. The use of pykrete serves a number of purposes. For example the material enables environment-friendly applications in agriculture, offshore industry and transport, as well as for building recreational facilities such as ice hotels.